


Do You Really Want To Know?

by Creneau



Series: JackDaniels Fics [3]
Category: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Bars and Pubs, F/F, Fluff, Hospitals, Illnesses, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Internalized Homophobia, JackDaniels, M/M, Masturbation, Memory Loss, Not Season/Series 02 Compliant, Period-Typical Homophobia, Police Brutality, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Destruction, Smut, Social Anxiety, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Teasing, Terrorism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-07
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2018-03-21 19:42:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 25,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3703289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Creneau/pseuds/Creneau
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two SSR agents falling in love in the 1940s while fighting off terrorists. What could possibly go wrong?</p><p>(This fic is on a hiatus. Thank you for your patience and support!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Give Me An Answer

Sousa slammed his fist against Thompson’s desk.

“Give me an answer, Thompson,” he demanded, “An _actual answer_.”

“Sousa, I already told you. We have enough field agents and-"

“Really? We have enough field agents?” he laughed, “That is so far from the truth. If anything we don’t have enough after losing Li and Krzeminski."

“You are really valuable here at the office. We would be lost without your skills-"

“Like filing and taking trivial orders from you?” Sousa interrupted, “I occasionally get to investigate local things and even then I feel useless.”

“I understand that you feel like you can do more-"

“THEN LET ME DO MORE, THOMPSON!”

The chatter outside of Thompson’s office suddenly disappeared. Great, they were all listening now.

“Sousa, come on,” Thompson pleaded, “You know why I can’t.“

“No, I really don’t,” said Sousa, cutting off Thompson again, “I saved your ass from Doctor Ivchenko, remember? I’ve proven myself over and over, but you don’t care.”

“Of course I care, Sousa. That’s why I’m not letting you go on the mission.”

Daniel tightened his fists in frustration, “That doesn’t make any sense. If you cared then you would _want_ to send me. You don’t even notice my efforts.”

Thompson tried to cut in, but Sousa kept venting, “WHY ARE YOU HOLDING ME BACK LIKE THIS?”

“Could you lower your voice, Sousa,” Jack asked sheepishly.

“NO, I WON’T LOWER MY VOICE. NOT UNTIL YOU TELL ME THE REAL REASON. DO YOU KNOW HOW FRUSTRATING THIS IS FOR ME?” Daniel’s knuckles were white and his face was flushed.

“Sousa, please. You’re busting my chops here.”

“I’m busting _your_ chops, really?” he lowered his voice, “This is ridiculous.” The look on Sousa’s face made Thompson prefer the yelling. He felt like those brown eyes were piercing into his soul.

“Can we talk in the back room? I’m pretty sure we’re disrupting the whole SSR.

“Yeah, fine,” Sousa dismissively agreed.

They both walked out of Thompson’s office and everyone was staring at them. After a moment they all looked away and pretended they heard nothing.

“Okay, now let me explain,” Thompson began, closing the door behind them.

“There’s nothing to explain,” countered Sousa, “You don’t think I can do it, that’s all.”

“No, that’s not it.”

“For god’s sake, just say it. I can take it, Thompson. It’s because of my leg, right?" Sousa tapped his leg with his crutch.

“I, well… actually-“

“I knew it,” he huffed, “An agent with a disability couldn’t possibly keep up on a mission, huh? Maybe I shouldn’t even be an agent. The SSR obviously doesn’t need me.”

“I need you,” Thompson muttered under his breath.

Sousa assumed the mutter was an insult, “What now? Did I forget something? Is there another reason why I’m fuckin’ useless?”

Now Thompson was the one with the white knuckles, “STOP IT. STOP SAYING YOU ARE USELESS.”

“THEN STOP TREATING ME LIKE I AM!”

Thompson snapped, “DO YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW?” He asked, now getting closer to the other man.

“Yeah, I want to know,” Sousa answered, bringing the volume of the conversation down to a whisper.

“It’s because,” Thompson cleared his throat, “It’s because I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Oh yeah, that’s touching. What about everyone else though? Obviously you don’t want any of them to get hurt either. That’s not it.”

“Sousa, listen…”

“No, I’m done.” Sousa stomped towards the door. He couldn’t take this anymore.

Thompson acted quickly, getting between him and the door, “I said _listen_.”

“Fine, talk.”

“I care about you. I don’t want you to get hurt. We would be lost without you. Those _are_ the real reasons, okay?”

Sousa just stared at him, not knowing how to respond.

“That’s not an excuse though,” Thompson continued, “I’m sorry for holding you back, Sousa,” he got out of Sousa’s way.

“What do you mean you care about me?” Daniel asked, “The way you said that sounded like, like…”

“Sounded like what?”

“It sounded like you were declaring your love or something,” he sniggered.

He expected Thompson to make a joke or laugh, nothing.

“Shut up.” He exclaimed. 

Sousa raised an eyebrow, “Touchy subject?”

Thompson shook his head, “Go back to work, Susan.” He ran his hand through his hair and motioned for Sousa to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should there be another chapter?
> 
> April 2016 edit: Wow, I can't believe this was almost a one-shot and now it's 20,000+ words/20+ chapters long.


	2. Can You Help Me With This?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sousa didn’t bring up their conversation for a few weeks. 
> 
> Instead, he was slowly torturing Thompson (which was way more rewarding).

Sousa didn’t bring up their conversation for a few weeks. Instead, he was slowly torturing Thompson (which was way more rewarding).

“Hey, Thompson. Can you help me with this?” he asked, holding up a photograph.

“Aren’t photos your job for this case?” commented Thompson.

“Yeah, I just need another pair of eyes,” he explained, “Everything starts to look the same after awhile.”

Thompson nodded and headed over towards Sousa’s desk. As he was looking at the picture he felt a hand lightly caress his back.

“Sousa, what are you-“ Thompson fretted.

Sousa ignored him, “See, at first I thought this was a photo of our main suspect, then I looked closer. Now I’m not so sure.”

“I see what you mean,” he agreed, “They could be a decoy or, oh-“ Thompson had to hold back a gasp as Sousa’s hand went further down his back.

Sousa put the two photos next to each other, “Do you think these are different people then, Thompson?”

“Yeah, yeah” he agreed again. Talking wasn’t really his strong suit right now.

“So you think one of them is in disguise?” Sousa suggested, “One of them is _hiding something_?” His light caress became a grip and Thompson was on the verge of squirming.

“Yes, that… that must be it,” Thompson’s eyes were transfixed on the photos, refusing to look up at Sousa.

“Thanks, Thompson,” Sousa clapped Thompson on the back, “I’m going to check the file for more photos.” He walked away with a smile. Thompson was rooted to the spot, trying to straighten out his thoughts.

Sousa was chuckling to himself while looking through more photos in the back room. The door creaked open and Sousa’s heart stopped. He quickly thought of another way to make Thompson squirm.

“Hey, Thomp-,” Daniel coughed, “Oh, hey Peggy!”

“Hello, Daniel,” Peggy greeted, “How are you?”

“Besides this case getting cold? I’m good.”

“I’m sure we will figure it out soon,” she reassured him.

“How about you Peg, how are you?”

“Very well actually,” Peggy answered, “I’m going out tonight.”

“That’s great,” he congratulated, “You deserve a night out.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it, “ Peggy smiled, “What are you doing tonight?”

“Oh, I have the night shift. I’ll probably head home after that.”

“Is Thompson going to be here for the night shift too?” she asked.

Daniel nodded, “Yeah, why?”

“It’s just nice to see you and Thompson getting along, especially after that yelling match the other week,” she commented. Sousa blushed and prayed that Peggy didn’t notice.

“Oh, right. You heard that…”

“Sorry,” she apologized, “It was kind of hard _not_ to hear it.”

“It’s fine,” he replied, a bit too quickly.

“Well, I better head back to my desk.”

“See you later, Peggy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the lovely comments on the last chapter!


	3. You're Really Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thompson thought about threatening Sousa. He wanted to tell him to shut up, to keep his mouth shut, and remind him that if he said a single word about this… he would… Oh, forget it.

“I thought Wallace was working the night shift too?” Sousa asked, looking around for the other agent.

“Oh,” Thompson responded, “I told him he could have the night off.”

“Huh, I see…”

“Why, is the workload too heavy for you?” he scoffed.

“Not at all,” Sousa smirked, “It’s just us then?”

“Yes, it’s just us.”

“Great.”

There was a strained silence as Sousa bluntly checked out Thompson.

“What- what are you looking at?” Thompson asked, getting a bit jumpy.

“The view.”

The phone rang and broke the tension. Sousa ignored the first couple rings.

“Answer the damn phone, Sousa.” Thompson shuffled into his office.

The next half an hour was rather boring. The phone didn’t ring again and he was surrounded by tedious paperwork. Sousa bit the end of his pen while sorting through everything. Then he noticed Thompson was staring at him through the window of his office.

_Oh boy, this oughta be good._

Sousa started nonchalantly sucking at the end of the pen. He pretended to be perplexed by something on the page for several minutes before licking his lips and twirling his tongue around it.

There was a loud bang from Thompson’s office. Sousa quickly got up to see what happened. When he entered, Sousa had to stop himself from cracking up. The sight was too hilarious. Thompson was on the floor, papers were everywhere, and his chair was knocked to the side.

“What the hell happened to you?” he asked.

Thompson tried in vain to straighten up his clothes.

“Nothing,” spat Thompson.

“Obviously something happened. You’re on the floor and this place is a mess.”

Sousa crouched over to pick up a few papers. Thompson’s eyes widened with fear.

“No, you don’t have to do that,” Thompson insisted, “I got it.” He pushed Sousa’s hands away from the papers.

“Wait, what is this?” Sousa picked up a sketchbook.

“It’s nothing, put it down.” Thompson attempted to snatch the book from Sousa, but it was too late.

“Is… is this a drawing of me?”

Thompson gawked at him, “N-no…”

“Really? Because it says ‘Daniel, April 11th’ at the bottom,” Sousa pointed out.

“It’s not a big deal. There’s one of Carter in there too, one of the building, and-“

“Yeah, but there’s only one of Peggy in here,” Sousa flipped through the pages, “There are like, three of me. Wait, no… four.”

Thompson was petrified.

“You did one of the skyline too, wow. These are _really_ good, Thompson.”

“Th-thanks.”

“I didn’t know you were an artist,” Sousa beamed at him.

“I’m not,” he uttered.

Sousa frowned, “What are you talking about? I’m literally holding your sketchbook full of art.”

“Just, give it back,” Thompson grabbed the sketchbook and put it in his desk drawer.

“Okay, sorry then,” Sousa backed off and left his office.

 

It was the end of the shift and Sousa was getting ready to leave.

“You almost ruined this one, you know.” Thompson sat on Sousa’s desk and held up the sketch from earlier.

“Excuse me?"

“That- that stupid pen thing,” he explained, “It was distracting.”

“You were watching me?” he teased, “Is that what made you fall?”

Thompson hit Sousa with the book, “You’re a cheeky bastard, you know that?”

“I prefer sassy, but whatever,” Sousa jested.

Thompson chuckled, “Yeah, okay.” He put on his hat and jacket.

“I meant what I said before. You’re really good.”

Thompson thought about threatening Sousa. He wanted to tell him to shut up, to keep his mouth shut, and remind him that if he said a single word about this… he would… _Oh, forget it_.

Sousa was caught by surprise when Thompson’s lips touched his cheek.

“Thanks,” he whispered, before quickly walking out the door.

Sousa stared at the door in awe. He felt happy, even though he knew Thompson wouldn’t acknowledge the kiss tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't stop writing these two, send help.


	4. Compelling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Are we going to talk about what happened?"
> 
> Thompson draws Sousa (again).

Thompson was distant all week. He didn’t even react when Sousa bent over in front of him to pick up a fallen photograph. Sousa was quickly running out of ideas.

They finally caught one of their suspects and Thompson was interrogating him. Peggy and Sousa watched from behind the mirror. It was brutal, hit after hit until he finally started talking. The suspect was handcuffed and taken away.

“Daniel, are you okay?” Peggy asked. The interrogation was over, but he was still staring through the mirror.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Alright,” Peggy nodded, “I’m going to file the confession then.” She left and suddenly everything was quiet.

Thompson was still in the interrogation room. His hands were tucked into his pocks as he sat down.

“ _Does he know I’m still here?"_  thought Sousa.

Sousa watched Thompson pull out a pocket-sized sketchbook. Everything seemed rather peaceful until Thompson cursed, crumpled up the paper, and threw it across the room.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” he muttered. The pencil was thrown next, this time at the mirror.

“Fuckin’ hell,” Sousa ducked his head, despite the barrier between them.

Thompson glared at the mirror, “Is someone there?”

 _Shit_ , he heard him. “It’s me, Thompson.”

“Sousa? Seriously, I can’t catch a break…” Thompson scratched the back of his neck, “How long have you been in there?”

“The whole time.”

Thompson kicked the chair and sat back down.

 

The door clicked open and Sousa stood in the doorway. “Done with your tantrum yet?”

“Shut up.”

“Bossy…” Sousa closed the door behind him.

“You saw the show, what do you want now?”

Sousa picked up the piece of paper and placed it on the table.

“Does… does this happen a lot?”

“Are you trying to interrogate me, Sousa?” Thompson mocked.

“Maybe. Are we going to talk about what happened?”

“Talk about what?”

“You… you kissed me,” Sousa reminded him, “And now you’re having fits in the interrogation room.”

“I didn’t _kiss_ you. I was just thanking you. You’re reading too much into this. Is there something _you_ would like to talk about?” Thompson countered.

“Unbelievable.”

“I’m not going to talk about my feelings, you fairy.”

Sousa raised his voice, “You got some serious projection problems, you know that?”

“Ha, I’ll add Freud to your list of nicknames.”

“You have a list?” Sousa teased, “Is it next to the love letters?”

“I was joking, Sousa.”

“You sure? You didn’t write them down in that other sketchbook of yours?”

Thompson blushed, “I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“The sketches, Thompson. There were four of me and they all had different captions.”

Thompson looked both nervous and impressed, “Sousa, you only _glanced_ at those. How could you possibly know that?”

“Photographs are my specialty, remember?” The triumphant grin on Sousa’s face was the same one that he showed off after taking out Doctor Ivchenko.

“Huh,” Thompson uttered, “You’re actually not that bad at interrogating.”

“Can I sit down then?”

Thompson pushed out the adjacent chair with his foot, “Sure, stay awhile.”

Sousa sat down and leaned his crutch against the table.

“What were you drawing, or, ah…” he looked at the crumpled paper, “What were you trying to draw?”

“You tell me, Mr. Interrogator.”

“I’d hate to assume, but…”

“ _Assume, Sousa._ ”

“Me? Why do you like drawing me?”

“I don’t know,” Thompson paused, “There’s just something… _compelling_ about you.”

Sousa cheeks were burning up, “Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

They stared at each other until Thompson got up to retrieve his pencil.

“Shit…” he muttered.

“What?”

Thompson held up the pencil. “The tip broke.”

“Well, you did throw it pretty hard.”

Thompson took out a small sharpener from his pocket, “Luckily, I come prepared.”

He sat back down and pulled his chair closer to Sousa’s.

“You’re staring at me again…”

“Can I draw you?”

Sousa smirked, “Haven’t you already done that?”

“No, I mean right now.”

“Oh… um, yeah. If you want to.”

Thompson smiled and started sketching.

 

“Stay still, idiot,” Thompson grabbed Sousa’s chin and positioned him. His hand lingered for a moment.

Thompson showed an interesting range of emotions while drawing. Sousa assumed that this was the reason he kept it secret.

Several more minutes into the drawing Sousa could feel his neck getting stiff.

He moved his head slightly and asked, “How’s it going so far?”

“Be quiet.” Thompson moved Sousa’s head back into place.

“Okay, okay.”

Thompson finished the last touches. He took a deep breath and showed it to Sousa, “It’s not perfect, but…”

“It’s amazing,” Sousa praised.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Oh, you have some pencil on your face.”

“I do?” Thompson wiped his forehead.

“No,” Sousa giggled, “It’s on your cheek, here let me.” He took out his handkerchief and wiped away the smudge.

Thompson’s heart was pounding. “Did you get it…?”

“Yes,” Sousa looked into Thompson’s eyes, “I got it.”

“Thanks, you can- ah, move away now.”

“Oh, right. Sorry,” Sousa looked at the drawing again. “Why are my cheeks so rosy?”

“Have you looked at yourself today?” Thompson jeered, “You look like a fucking tomato.”

Sousa rolled his eyes, “But I’m a _compelling_ tomato.”

“Fuck off, Sousa. That’s the only word I could think of. I’m an artist, not a poet.”


	5. What Do You Want Me To Say?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More drawing and yelling, who would have guessed?

Peggy literally just got home when she realized she left her gloves at the office.

“I’m so sorry, Angie. I won’t be long.” Peggy put her jacket back on.

“Don’t worry about it, English.”

“You better not eat that rhubarb pie without me!”

“No promises,” Angie laughed before kissing her girlfriend hello _and_ goodbye.

 

Sousa and Thompson were still in the interrogation room.

“Did you get my good side?” asked Sousa, moving his head around.

“I’ve drawn every side, Sousa.”

“Are you saying that my whole face is my ‘good side’?”

“Perhaps,” Thompson answered, “Don’t get too cocky about it though.”

Sousa smirked anyway. Thompson meant to hit his foot, but they ended up playing footsie instead.

“When did you start drawing anyway?”

“Since I was a teenager actually. Then I stopped for a while…” Thompson disclosed, “I finally picked it back up after the war.”

“Is it like, a coping thing?” Sousa asked.

Thompson grimaced at the question, “What makes you ask that?”

“Assuming that everyone has some kind of trouble in their teen years, and… the war took a toll on all of us…”

“Yeah, I guess it’s a coping thing then.” Thompson hoped that Sousa wouldn’t ask any more questions.

“What are you coping with right now?”

“You know, I’m _really_ starting to hate this interrogation room.”

“Fine, don’t answer then.” Sousa pulled his foot away.

“I don’t know. Emotions maybe? Kind of sounds pathetic when I say it out loud.”

“It’s not pathetic.”

“Trust me, the kind that I’m dealing with- never mind,” Thompson loudly cleared his throat, “Do you want to get a drink or something?”

“Only if you finish that sentence, Thompson.” Sousa crossed his arms and stared him down.

Thompson moved his chair back. “I’m frustrated with work, that’s all. You know, stress.”

“Hmm, I think it’s something else,” Sousa prodded, “Something repressed?”

“I’m not exactly repressing anything, Susan. You just watched me beat up a guy.”

“You _know_ that’s not what I meant.”

“No I don’t,” Thompson stood up, “I’m not even sure where you’re going with this.”

“THOMPSON. I SWEAR TO GOD,” Sousa yelled, “JUST _SAY IT_.”

“SAY WHAT!?” Thompson yelled back, “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY?”

“ANYTHING THAT ISN’T BULLSHIT,” he demanded.

“DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY _I LOVE YOU_? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT ME TO SAY? THERE, I SAID IT.”

Sousa lowered his voice, “You? You love me? Are you lightheaded from the yelling or do you actually mean that?”

“I’m not lightheaded, you idiot. You think I get faint just from yelling?”

Sousa’s jaw dropped, “Thompson…”

“ _No, I randomly tell people that I think I might love them, Sousa! I just go around sharing my feelings left and right. I casually mention that I’m queer to everyone I meet_ ,” Thompson flailed his arms around, “Of course I’m being serious.”

Sousa stood up and closed the space between them, “I think I might love you too.” He cautiously hovered over Thompson’s lips, waiting for this to all explode again. Their lips finally touched, but Thompson stayed still.

Sousa pulled back and whispered, “Shy, Thompson?”

Thompson reciprocating the kiss pleasantly surprised Sousa. They clumsily backed up into the table; maybe Sousa had a point about being lightheaded?

The kiss became rather frantic. Hands were everywhere and neither knew where to begin their exploration.

“I thought the action usually came before the confession?” Sousa teased.

“Shut up and kiss me.”

 

Peggy checked her desk, the meeting room, and the floor. Her gloves were nowhere to be seen.

“Wait a second! I took them off during the interrogation,” she remembered.

Peggy walked into the room and grabbed her gloves. _Finally, I can go home!_ That’s when she turned around and looked through the mirror.

“Bloody Nora,” she muttered. Thompson had Sousa pressed up against the table, hands firmly on his hips. Sousa’s arms were wrapped around Thompson’s neck and they were kissing each other madly.

Peggy slowly walked out of the room, her eyes still wide.

“Oh, Angie is going to love this.”


	6. Was It Hot?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cartinelli filler!

“Wow, they were _kissing_? At the _office_?” Angie was enthralled by Peggy’s story. She turned off the radio and was eating the rhubarb pie like popcorn. 

"Yes, right there."

“Was it hot?” Angie took another bite of pie.

“They looked like a couple of frustrated school boys.” They both laughed. Angie put down the pie and leaned against Peggy. Snuggling on the couch together was always their favorite part of the day.

“Was it the first time it happened then?” she asked, “Or are they forever frustrated school boys.”

“Haha, I’m not sure. Perhaps they-”

“Do you think they’re still there?” Angie interrupted, “I bet they’re still there sucking each others faces off.”

“You seem _very_ interested in this,” noted Peggy.

“Your fat-head male coworkers made out, of course I’m interested. I wouldn’t have expected it from what you’ve told me,” Angie remembered all the times Peggy came home and complained about work, “I assumed that Jackass Thompson was as straight as an arrow.”

“I knew _something_ was up, especially with Daniel,” she pondered, “I just couldn’t put my finger on it…”

“You didn’t notice that they were _smitten_?” Angie asked, before tickling Peggy. She loved hearing her girlfriend laugh.

“Hey! Stop that!” Peggy giggled, swatting her hands away, “No, I didn’t. Unless you count yelling as smitten?”

“Everyone does it differently, I guess.” Angie shrugged, “Move over, English.”

Peggy shifted on the couch so Angie could rest her head on her lap.

“I can’t believe it,” sighed Peggy, “How could I have not realized what the tension was?” She started playing with Angie’s hair, getting lost in thought.

“It makes sense. You didn’t notice when I was flirting with you," she teased.  


"Oh hush,” Peggy blushed, “I eventually picked up on it!”

“Hmm, you always do, Ms. Smarty Pants.”

“The violets were a _pretty big_ clue, Angie.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, “I didn’t even try to cover that one up.”

“I’m glad you didn’t…”

“Me too.”

They smiled at each other and Peggy stroked Angie's face.

She kissed her forehead and whispered, “We should go to bed. You have an audition tomorrow.”


	7. Lunch Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey, Killer. Lunch? My treat.”

All of the agents were collected in the briefing room. Thompson called for a meeting to talk about the recent revelations in their recent case.

After going on and on for half an hour he asked, “Carter, anything you’d like to add?”

“Yes, actually,” she tried to hide her impatience. Peggy was supposed to talk 15 minutes ago.

“As you know, for the last two months we have been dealing with a terrorist group who calls themselves Cтрах, which is Russian for fear.”

“That’s fitting,” Sousa commented. A few agents laughed in agreement.

Thompson sat next to Sousa and put his hand on his thigh underneath the table. Sousa tried to keep his attention on Peggy.

“Very fitting indeed,” Peggy continued, “Now, the recent confession was a breakthrough, but we are still far from finding Cтрах’s leader.”

Thompson mindlessly nodded throughout the rest of the meeting. He wanted to get revenge for all the times Sousa made him squirm at the office. His plan was definitely working, because he felt him adjust in his chair several times. Then Sousa’s hand was on top of his… He was just teasing back right? They were _not_ holding hands.

“Through the confession we were able to identity one of Cтрах’s upcoming plans,” Peggy explained, “We are going to need several field agents in these locations throughout the next few days.” She pointed at the map behind her and strategically placed several tacks on it.

Everyone got up to leave. Thompson slipped a note into Sousa’s jacket pocket.

_“Hey, Killer. Lunch? My treat.”_

He smiled to himself and stuffed the note back in his pocket. Thompson winked at him before he left the briefing room.

 

They left the office 5 minutes apart.

“So, where are we going?” asked Sousa, checking out Thompson again. He was leaning against a pole outside their building and _damn_ … he looked good.

“Just a diner I like, come on.” Thompson led the way.

They strictly kept their conversation about work while walking, only hinting at other topics.

 

The two SSR agents choose the far corner booth and sat as close as socially acceptable.

“The turkey club is pretty good,” Thompson recommended.

“I’ll get that then.” Their eyes met briefly.

The waitress came over, “What can I get you?”

Before Sousa could open his mouth Thompson was already ordering for them.

“Do you know which field agents you’re sending out?” Sousa asked, “It’s local, so I could-”

“We can talk about this later, okay?”

Sousa nodded, “Yeah, okay.”

Their food came out and Sousa took a bite of the turkey club.

“Oh my god, you’re right!” Daniel talked with his mouth full, “This is great.”

Jack laughed, “Glad you like it, you slob.”

He blushed and quickly wiped his mouth. They ate in silence for several minutes.

“Is this a date, Thompson?” Sousa joked, breaking the silence.

Thompson chuckled, “That depends.”

“On what?”

“If you want it to be,” Thompson looked up from his menu. He was talking in the same joking manner, but his eyes said something else.

The waitress placed the check on the table, smiled, and walked away. Sousa and Thompson reached for the check at the same time.

“Let me,” Sousa offered.

“No,” insisted Thompson, “I said it was my treat.”

“I don’t mind paying,” Sousa pulled the check towards him

Thompson glared and pulled the check back, “ _I_ mind you paying.”

“Okay, fine,” Sousa conceded, “You pay then.”

“Ah, Sousa?"

“Yeah?”

“Your hand is still on mine…”

He quickly removed his hand and blushed. Thompson smiled to himself in victory while taking out the money.

 

“Want to, um…” Sousa stumbled over his words as they left the diner, “I mean, if it’s okay, come over to-”

“Your place?”

“Yeah, we ate pretty quickly and we don’t need to be back for an hour. It’s actually not that far from here. I can pay for the cab since you paid for lunch and…” Sousa trailed off.

“Are you suggesting we have a quickie, Sousa?” Thompson teased, “I thought you were more of a gentlemen?”

Sousa blushed, “Sorry, I-”

Thompson already signaled for the cab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is smut city


	8. Say My Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to smut city

They arrived at Sousa’s place and Thompson looked around. “Huh, I expected sweater vests to be everywhere.” He placed his hat and jacket on the rack near the door.

Sousa lightly punched his shoulder, “Shut up, Thompson.”

“What? I like them…” He grabbed Sousa’s hips and played with the hem of his well-fitted yellow sweater vest.

“Hmm, do you now?”

“Oh, yeah,” Thompson flirted, “This one especially… I’d like it better on the floor though.”

Sousa chuckled at the corny line, “How original.”

“You mean classic? It works on the dames,” Thompson boasted, “Thought it’d work on you too, Sousa.”

Daniel rolled his eyes, “Let’s drop the last names already, Jack.”

“But we _work together_ , Sousa.” Thompson unbuttoned Sousa’s sweater vest and dress shirt, “Gotta keep things _professional_.”

“You’re going to keep things professional while you ride my dick?” Sousa whispered, pulling on his suspenders. Thompson’s eyes widened and it took him a moment to recompose himself.

“I can try…” he whispered back, “Also, you’re assuming I want to ride your dick?” 

Daniel grinned, “Don’t you?”

“Yeah, but that’s not the point.”

They practically ran to Sousa’s bedroom, taking off each other clothes like the world depended on it. The agents were left only in their briefs.

Thompson pushed Sousa onto the bed, “Do you have something we can use?”

“Yeah, there’s Vaseline in the first drawer,” he motioned at the nightstand.

“First drawer, huh?” Thompson insinuated, "Must see a lot of action.”

“Just get over here. This is supposed to be a quickie, remember?”

“Okay, okay,” he grabbed the Vaseline then stood in front of him. He admired Sousa’s body while he opened the container. “Serious question, have you done this before?”

“Not with another man… have you?” he wondered.

Thompson smirked then placed the Vaseline on the side of the bed. He straddled Sousa’s waist and attacked his lips. This kiss was just as frantic as the first. Their hands brushed against new and exciting terrains. It was sloppy and far from perfect, but Thompson couldn’t remember being more content. He loved the small breaths in between, the warmth of Sousa’s cheeks, and running his fingers through the brunette’s hair. Suddenly, Thompson felt a hard length against his back, “ _Damn_ , where have you been hiding that?”

Sousa laughed, “It’s not like we’ve been in this situation before.”

“True, and what a mistake that is…” Thompson kissed down his neck, chest, and stomach. When he reached Sousa’s briefs he teased the bulge. “God, if I knew you were packing this, I would have been all over you _ages_ ago.”

Sousa bit his lip, “Mmm.”

“Fuckin’ gorgeous,” he praised.

Sousa’s face flushed with embarrassment. He never thought of his body like that.

“Ha, yeah…” he scratched the back of his neck.

Thompson could sense the hesitation, “You okay?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Sousa coughed, “It’s just the- the…”

“The what?” he questioned.

Sousa pointed down at his leg, “My, um-”

“Oh,” Thompson realized, “The prosthetic?”

“Yeah,” Sousa looked away. He didn’t want to bring it up, but if they were going to be _intimate_ it was rather necessary.

“Do you want to take it off or, um, keep it on?” Thompson awkwardly suggested.

“I’ll keep it on, just be careful.” They exchanged reassuring glances.

“Can I?” Thompson’s fingers grasped the sides of Sousa’s briefs.

Sousa nodded then laid back on the pillow. He almost shouted in pleasure when he felt Thompson lick the head of his dick. In mere seconds Thompson was sucking up and down his length. Well, _he sure wasn’t wasting any time_ , not that Sousa was complaining. The last time he had a blow job was before the war. Sure, he’d given and received a few hand jobs while serving, but it couldn’t compare to this.

He combed his fingers through Thompson’s silky blond hair, “Mmm, yes…”

Just as Sousa was about to come Thompson removed his mouth, “Like that, Sousa?”

“Obviously,” he whined, gripping the sheets, “Ugh, why’d you stop jackass?”

“Because it’s my turn,” Thompson winked, “Can’t have you finishing first, now can I?”

“Fine,” Sousa sat up to change positions, “But I’ve never given a blow job before so-”

Thompson pushed him back down, “Not what I had in mind.” He grinded against Sousa and guided his hands to the crack of his ass.

“You, um…” Sousa stuttered, “You- you want me to-”

“Mmmhmm,” he hummed, “Hurry up.”

“Wow, my assumption about you was _really_ on point, wasn’t it?”

Thompson glared down at him; Sousa took this as his cue. He slid off Thompson’s briefs and prepped him with the Vaseline. Sousa gently pushed a finger inside, earning an eager and immediate response.

“Add- add another,” he urged. Sousa pushed in a second finger and started scissoring them. “Oh, oh…” Thompson panted, “Just like that.” He buried his face into Sousa’s shoulder. Sousa couldn’t believe that they were actually doing this and _in the middle of the day_. Thompson continued making little happy noises as Sousa fingered him.

“Want me to add another?”

“No,” he huffed, “I want more. Hand me that.” Sousa handed him the Vaseline and grunted when he felt Thompson slick him up.

“You all set?” Sousa asked anxiously.

Thompson gave Sousa a lustful look, “Oh, yeah. I’m all set.” He lined himself up with Sousa’s dick and glided halfway down in one swift motion.

“Holy shit, Jack…” Sousa moaned, “Have- _have you_ done this before?’

“Only by myself,” Thompson answered nonchalantly.

“Geez…” Sousa almost lost it from the image of Thompson fucking himself.

“Also, I said last names only,” he reminded him.

“Still trying to keep things professional?”

“Yes, so shut it.”

“Good luck with that,” Sousa challenged. He gripped Thompson’s hips and went deeper.

“Mmm…” Thompson whimpered, “Do- do that again.”

“Say my name then,” he demanded.

Thompson avoided eye contact, “And what if I don’t?”

Sousa pulled out and flipped them over. Thompson rutted his hips forward, but Sousa kept him tightly pinned down.

“Say it,” he whispered, “Say my name, Jack.”

“I hate you so much…” Thompson muttered.

“Come on, it’s not that hard.”

“Yeah, well something _else_ is…”

Sousa gazed down at Thompson’s erection between them, “Good, that should be an incentive.”

Thompson craved for friction, “Dear lord, please…” He couldn’t stand it anymore.

Sousa decided to show some mercy, so he pulled Thompson’s legs apart and slowly slipped the head of his dick back inside.

“Ahh,” he begged, “Move, god… please just move.”

“What’s that? You want me to move?” Sousa asked innocently, “You sure?”

“Yes, I’m fucking sure,” Thompson tried to rut forward again.

Sousa enjoyed this side of Thompson; the side that begged to be fucked and squirmed underneath him.

“Prove it,” he dared, before he pulled out completely.

Thompson closed his eyes and gave up, “I- I want you, _Daniel_.”

“Hmm, there we go,” Daniel smirked and pushed all the way back in.

“Uhh, yes…” he yanked Daniel’s hair. He gave another thrust, this time he hit Jack’s prostate. Jack tightened up, which caused them both to moan.

“Mmm, this feels amazing,” Daniel panted, “So amazing…”

“Well, yeah. You’re fucking _me_.”

Instead of answering, Daniel fucked him harder into the mattress.

Jack rested his hands on Daniel’s shoulders as he moaned shamelessly, “Da- Daniel, fuck… yes, fuck me. Fuck me _harder_.” He matched Daniel’s rhythm, fucking up into every thrust.

“You’re such a little slut, Thompson,” he teased.

“Shut- shut up,” Jack dug his fingers into Daniel’s shoulders, “You call _that_ harder?”

He used his grip on Daniel’s shoulders to roll them over. They positioned themselves back into a riding position. “Watch and learn.”

Jack bounced up and down until he heard Daniel’s breath hitch. He slowed down and asked, “Is this too rough?”

“No, it’s okay. _Keep going_ ,” he encouraged.

Jack smiled smugly as he picked up the pace, “Enjoying the show?”

All Daniel could do was nod. He felt his balls tighten up and he didn’t know how much longer he would last. With his remaining strength, Daniel reached up and stroked Jack’s dick.

“Daniel… Daniel, _oh my god, Daniel_ …” Jack chanted his name. He leaned forward and came on the other man’s stomach. Daniel came shortly after. He pulled out and released onto Jack’s back and the bed sheets. They stared at each other with amazement and exhaustion.

“Did we really just-”

“Yeah, we did.”

“We should probably get cleaned up,” said Daniel.

“Right, right,” Jack agreed, “I’m just... going to lay down for a moment.”

 

_They were gone longer than expected._

 

“WHERE THE _HELL_ HAVE YOU TWO BEEN?” Peggy yelled, throwing a field report at Thompson’s head.

“Whoa, Carter!” he ducked, “What’s wrong?”

“You were gone for _three hours_ , Thompson!”

“Tell me what happened!”

“Cтрах contacted the SSR and threatened to attack several monuments.”

Thompson’s brow started to sweat, “Geez, I can see why you're mad. I should have been here, I’ll-”

“They might also be connected with _Leviathan_.”

Sousa’s jaw dropped, “Peggy, we-”

“It’s your responsibility to be here, Thompson. If you have the nerve to take credit for your team’s work you should at least be here to witness it. Johnson and Ramirez are out in the field right now. I had to give the orders, because _you_ weren’t here.”

“Wait, where are they?” asked Thompson, “Carter, where-”

“They’re at the Statue of Liberty. You know, one of the places I tacked on the map this morning,” She waited for Thompson to freak out and realize _how much_ he fucked up.

“Shit, tell Rose to direct the calls to my office. I’ll take care of this, okay?” he jogged to his office, “Sousa, pick up the pace and get me those field reports.”

“I’m sorry, Peggy,” Sousa apologized before retrieving the reports and following Thompson.

“I can’t believe those two,” Peggy muttered to herself.

One of the other agents overheard her, “Why were they even gone for three hours?”

“Beats me,” she lied. If Angie were here she would have a million explanations.


	9. We Can't Do This Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Is this really the best time for this conversation?”

Daniel walked into Jack’s office and closed the door behind him. He gave Jack a worried look, but didn’t say anything.

“Are you going to yell at me too?” Thompson asked, phone in one hand and a pen in the other.

“You need to listen to Peggy more.”

“So I’ve been told, one moment.” Jack scribbled down a few notes while talking to someone on the phone.

After he hung up, Daniel blurted out, “We can’t do this again.”

Thompson looked up from his desk, “Oh, okay. I just assumed because _you_ were the one that invited _me_ over…”

“I know, and I take part of blame for that. It doesn’t change the fact that you’re in charge now.”

“I get it,” Jack choked, “You don’t want to be sleeping with the boss, that makes sense. Sorry for overstepping my boundaries,” He quickly pulled himself together, “Can you pass me those reports then?”

Daniel handed him the reports, “That’s- that’s not what I meant.”

“Is this _really_ the best time for this conversation?” Jack asked, obviously hurt.

“No, but-”

“Sousa, the whole office is busting their chops,” Thompson dismissed, “Get a move on,”

“Yes- yes, sir.”

Daniel turned around, walked out of his office, and went directly to the bathroom.

“Daniel! Where are you going?” Peggy shouted after him.

“I just need a moment,” he explained.

Peggy shook her head, “Unbelievable.”

Great, now _two_ people were upset with him. Daniel rested his crutch against the sink. He turned on the water and cupped his hands underneath it. As he splashed water in his face, he kept thinking about the hurt look on Jack’s face. He was right; it wasn’t the best time for that conversation. It was the _worst_ time, which is why Jack completely misinterpreted him. Daniel breathed in deeply. He couldn’t let this faze him, not while Cтрах and Leviathan were closing in on them.

Suddenly, everything seemed quiet. The hustle and bustle outside was silenced.

Daniel reached for his crutch and gripped it tightly. He walked towards the door and inched it open. Daniel turned the corner and realized that half of the agents were gone.

“There you are!” Peggy shouted, “I was looking for you. I thought you went to the changing room and-”

“Where is everyone?” he questioned.

“New York Municipal, Grand Central Terminal, Times Square, mostly Statue of Liberty,” Peggy answered quickly, “Come on, I’ll explain on the way.”

They rushed out of the office and went down the elevator.

“Where’s- where’s Thompson?” Daniel asked as the doors closed.

Peggy hesitated to answer, “He’s, um…”

Daniel looked over at her, “What is it, Peggy?”

“While you were in the bathroom we got another call from Cтрах. ‘ _After we destroy your precious lady of liberty we attack the rest_.’ They threatened the Statue of Liberty with planted explosives. Thompson defused several bombs during the war, so he-”

“Shit, he’s right in the middle of it?”

Peggy touched his shoulder and gave him a knowing smile, “He will be okay.”

The elevator doors reopened and they speed walked to the car waiting for them outside.


	10. Agent Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Get your ass in gear, man!”

Daniel rocked back and forth in his seat while Peggy looked out the window.

“We’re almost there,” she said. He tried to relax himself by twiddling his thumbs, but that quickly turned into another nervous tic.

“I swear…” Peggy muttered under her breath as they pulled up near the ferry dock.

“Peggy? What’s- oh,” He got out of the car and saw the crowd in front of them.

“They haven’t evacuated yet?” Peggy shoved her bag into Daniel’s hands and stomped over to the agents on the dock. “Why are these people still here?”

“We tried to evacuate, but we didn’t get the okay yet-”

Peggy interrupted the explanation, “I don’t care if you got _the okay_ or not _._  Make everyone leave.”

“Carter, how do you expect us to-”

“Show the lovely men on the ferries your _damn_ badges,” she ordered, “Tell them to bring back everyone from the island.”

“We can’t do that without-

“Yes, you can. Cancel the schedules for _all_ the ferries. Statue of Liberty, Battery Park, and Ellis Island,” she said firmly.

“I’d listen to her,” Daniel advised, still holding her bag.

The agents nodded and walked away.

Peggy gazed at the Statue of Liberty. It looked tranquil and calm, which was far from the underlying reality.

“We need to get over there.”

Daniel handed her bag back and they headed over to the ferry.

Peggy showed a security guard her badge, “There’s been a threat. We need everyone to exit the dock.”

It was the same conversation all over again. The security guard didn’t take her demand seriously at first. He finally listened after cracking underneath Peggy’s death glare. Daniel was always impressed by how Peggy handled these situations of belittlement.

A police officer walked up to them, “Are you the SSR agents?” she asked.

“Yes, that’s us. I’m Agent Carter,” Peggy shook her hand, “And this is Agent Sousa.”

“I’m Officer Bather. Sorry about these guys,” she motioned at the security guards, “They’re a reluctant bunch! Follow me.”

“Finally, someone with a brain,” Peggy exclaimed. The two were escorted to an NYPD speedboat. Daniel couldn’t stay still during the ride, he stimmed his fingers against the side of his prosthetic. 

“Your partner okay?” Bather asked Peggy.

Daniel overheard them and waved it off, “I’m fine. Just nerves.”

The boat jolted to a stop. Daniel was the first to get out, followed by Peggy and the police officer.

A couple of agents were chuckling at something while overseeing the evacuation. The last ferry finally left.

“This isn’t the time for bar jokes, agents!” said Sousa, “Make  _sure_  everyone is off the island.”

“Carter! Sousa!” Ramirez ran towards them, out of breath, “I- I don’t know what happened, you- you need to…”

“Do you have water on the boat?” Peggy asked. Bather quickly grabbed a bottle from the front compartment. Ramirez took it. He drank half of it and poured the rest on his head.

“We- we searched the whole staircase,” he said, “Didn’t see anything until we got to the top. Thompson’s up there, in the crown, you need to help. I- I couldn’t.” Ramirez hunched over and rested his hands on his knees.

Peggy and Daniel exchanged worried looks before they ran to the statue’s entrance.

“Daniel, it’s a _long_ way up,” Peggy warned, “Are you sure you can-”

“I can do it.”

 

They managed to reach the top of the statue with only having to take a few breathers.

“Thompson!” Peggy called out. The room inside the crown was filled with smoke.

Daniel got in front of her, “Where the hell is he?”

There was a loud cough, but they couldn’t tell which direction it came from.

“Get your gun out,” Peggy whispered.

The agents held their guns up and walked amongst the smoke.

Daniel could just barely make out the figure of someone sitting in the corner, “Jack?”

The smoke began to thin out. It was definitely Jack, but he looked different. He was pale, body tensed up, and staring blankly at the bomb in his hands.

Peggy grabbed Daniel’s arm before he could take a step towards him. She immediately recognized it as a nitramene bomb. 

“Thompson…” she kneeled down in front of him, “Hand me the bomb.”

“Peggy, don’t” said Daniel.

“Believe it or not, I know a thing or two about defusing bombs,” she laughed nervously, “Come on, hand it over.”

Jack’s eyes widened as he tried to open his mouth, “I- I…” He didn’t move.

More smoke poured out of the bomb. “Get your ass in gear, man!”

She couldn’t wait for him to snap out of it. Peggy put her hands around Jack’s and guided the bomb into her lap.

“Be careful!” Daniel coughed.

She pushed away Jack’s fingers and started tinkering with the explosive. She pulled out a small perfume bottle from her bag. Smoke poured out everywhere and Peggy gasped for air.

“Daniel, I need you to- to slowly walk towards Thompson. Lift him to his feet… and walk down the stairs.”

“No, I’m not leaving you here,” Daniel protested.

“ _Now_ ,” she pleaded, “Please, just- just listen to me.”

He followed her instructions.

Daniel put his hands under Jack’s arms and lifted him up.

They walked towards the door, but someone was standing in their way.

“Not so fast, agents,” said a familiar voice. Daniel couldn’t make out their face through all the smoke.

He reached for his gun. “Move!”

Daniel was too late. The voice laughed and a gunshot went off. Jack snapped out of his frozen state when he heard Daniel scream in pain. They both fell to the floor.

“Da- Daniel? Oh my god, Daniel,” Jack sat up and saw blood coming out of Daniel’s arm.

After having to defuse a bomb in a bathroom earlier that year, the agent kept a mixture of bicarbonate soda, white wine vinegar, and bourbon whiskey on her during most missions. It definitely paid off. Peggy removed the core of the bomb and sprayed it with the perfume bottle until it fizzled and the smoke stopped.

“I GOT IT!” Peggy shouted from the other side of the room, “The- the bomb is defused. Crikey o'reilly, what a nightmare.” 

“Daniel’s been shot!” said Jack.

Peggy rushed over to them, “Where? By who?” She looked at Daniel, then at the staircase.

“Take care of him! I’ll get a medic!” She ran down the stairs, gun in her hand. The shooter couldn’t have possibly left the Statue of Liberty yet.

Peggy heard an eerie laugh, “Haha, you’ll never get out alive!” The voice echoed around her.

“Show yourself!” Peggy tightened the grip around her gun. She eventually reached the bottom of the stairs, the voice’s origin remained unknown.

“HELP! AGENT DOWN!” she yelled.

 

“Daniel? Can you hear me?” Jack asked. He must have hit his head when they fell.

Jack took out his handkerchief and put pressure on the injured arm.

“Ahh,” Daniel whined, he squirmed away from Jack’s touch.

“Please,” Jack reached for his hand, “Stay still. Let me take care of you.”

The room was almost clear of smoke. Daniel looked up and saw that Jack was crying.

He stopped squirming and let Jack hold the handkerchief against his arm.

Daniel squeezed his hand, “It’s okay… I’ll be okay.”

They held hands until several armed agents and a small team of medics came.

The medics put Daniel on a stretcher. One of the agents helped Jack up, while the other carefully collected the bomb's shell. Fresh air entered the room as the rest of the smoke cleared. Jack took a deep breath.

“We should leave,” said the agent who helped him up.

Jack heard the ambulance sirens outside. He cleared his throat before he responded, “Yeah, let’s get out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The police officer is named after Elizabeth Bather: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Bather


	11. It's Not Your Fault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That’s the nature of the job, Thompson.”

Jack felt dizzy as he walked down the stairs. Everything around him seemed faded and out of focus. He held onto the railing and tried to steady himself.

“Thompson? Are you okay?” asked one of the agents.

“I’m- I’m fine,” he said.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and Jack looked around for Peggy. He finally saw her talking to a female police officer.

“Carter!” he shouted. Peggy gave him a weak smile.

A medic stopped him from walking over to her, “Sir, you need to sit down.”

“No- no… I need to- to,” Jack stuttered.

The medic guided him to a chair next to the ambulance vehicles.

“Which- which hospital are they taking him to?” Jack asked while the medic tried to take his blood pressure.

“You need to stay still,” he said.

Jack relaxed himself and asked again, “Which hospital?”

“The man on the stretcher? New York Presbyterian,” he answered, “And it looks like you’re going there too.”

“I’m… what? No, I’m fine,” he protested. Jack stood up and tried walking away.

“Sir, please!”

“See, perfectly fine!” he said before collapsing to the ground.

The medic looked more annoyed than empathetic at this point, “Ugh, why are agent types always like this? I NEED HELP OVER HERE!”

 

Jack woke up in a stiff hospital bed. He rubbed his eyes and saw a nurse enter the room.

“Hello, Mr. Thompson,” she greeted.

“Hi,” he grunted, his back was killing him. “What- what time is it?”

“It’s 6pm. You have only been here for a few hours,” she said, “You’re fine by the way. The doctors were concerned about your lungs, because of the fumes you inhaled. Luckily, they didn’t find anything.” The nurse took out the IV from his arm.

“Am- am I free to go?” he asked.

“Yes, but we recommend taking things easy for a few days. If you feel any chest pain, please come back.” She helped him out of the bed and showed him to his belongings.

The nurse was about to walk away when he asked, “Wait- um, do you know where I can find a patient named Sousa?” He was brought in around the same time as me.”

“You can ask the front desk,” she informed him.

He headed towards the front desk, not bothering to button up his shirt.

 

“I’m sorry, sir,” said the head nurse, “You can’t see him.”

“Please, I need to know if he’s okay,” he pleaded.

“I wish I could help, but you aren’t related and-”

Jack pulled out his badge, “I work with him.” He stared down the head nurse as she gazed at the badge.

“One moment,” she excused herself. The head nurse walked past him and turned around the corner.

“Ugh,” he sighed. Jack sat down and waited. He tried his best to stay awake, but ended up dozing off.

The nurse from earlier poked his shoulder. “You can see him now. The doctor said it was alright.”

“Hmm?” Jack yawned, “Oh- good, good.”

She led him to Daniel’s room where he was fast asleep. His right arm was in a sling and there was a small bandage on his head.

“Visiting hours end in 2 hours,” she said, “Be out of here by then.”

“Got it,” he nodded, “Thanks.”

Jack pulled up a chair next to the bed and made sure the coast was clear before he reached for his hand.

“Hey, killer…” he whispered, “Congratulations, you’ve turned me into a sap that talks to people when they can’t hear him.” Jack leaned his elbow on the bed. “God, I’m glad you’re okay. This is my fault. If- if I didn’t freeze…”

Daniel squeezed his hand and slowly opened his eyes, “I can hear you, jackass.”

Jack’s face burned up, “Oh- shit, I thought you were asleep.”

“Sleepy, but not asleep unfortunately. I can never get comfortable in these _damn_ beds,” Daniel laughed.

Jack awkwardly laughed back, “Yeah, they’re the worst.”

“It’s not your fault, you know,” said Daniel, “You’re not the one who planted the bomb.”

“I know… but- but this is why I didn’t want you going into the field,” Jack cried, “You could have been killed.”

“That’s the nature of the job, Thompson.” 

Jack got up and pushed the chair away. He sat down on the bed instead.

“I’m supposed to protect you,” he stated, “That’s  _my_ job. I should have defused that bomb. You shouldn’t have even been up there.”

“Hey,” Daniel whispered, “Come here.” He tugged on his hand to make him lean forward. Their lips touched and Jack jerked backwards.

“Are you crazy? We could get caught!”

Daniel smirked, “So?”

“So? What do you mean so?” Jack scoffed, “Are the pain meds still affecting you?”

“No, but your shirt is still unbuttoned,” Daniel flirted, “That’s _definitely_ affecting me.”

“Seriously, Sousa?” Jack chuckled, “Shut up and sleep.” He buttoned up his shirt and did a sloppy job of putting on his tie.

“That looks awful,” Daniel teased.

“ _This_ looks awful?” Jack laughed, “No, _you’re_ the one that looks awful.”

Daniel rolled his eyes and sat up, “Let me fix it.”

“You can’t fix it, your arm is-”

Suddenly, Daniel pulled his tie and brought their lips back together. He didn’t jerk back this time.

 

Daniel woke up the next morning to a note and a bouquet of flowers.

“Shut up, feel better, and don’t tell anyone that these are from me.

\- Sincerely, Jackass”


	12. That's A Good Look On You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Did you seriously go back to the place where you were shot to get souvenirs?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dorky filler chapter

“Hey, guess who’s back!” Daniel strutted into the SRR office with a wide smile and a large paper bag.

“Welcome back,” said Ramirez.

“Great to see you, Sousa,” Wallace added.

“Hello, Daniel!” Peggy greeted him. She took the paper bag from him and placed it on his desk. “What’s in the bag?”

“You’ll see. Where’s Thompson?”

Jack walked out of his office, “Carter, do you have the files I asked- Sousa? What the hell are you doing here? You should be resting.”

“The bullet only grazed me and my head stopped pounding. It’s been 2 days, Thompson. I’m fine,” he reassured him.

Jack noticed that Daniel was wearing a flower in his jacket pocket. He grinned to himself when he realized it was from the bouquet.

“He brought gifts apparently,” said Peggy, peeking into the paper bag.

Daniel grabbed the bag and took out several foam crowns.

“Are those? Statue of Liberty foam crowns?” she asked.

“Did you seriously go back to the place where you were shot to get souvenirs?” Jack asked, his arms crossed.

“The State of Liberty is still closed, so no. I asked Officer Bather for a favor.”

Peggy put one of the crowns on Jack and laughed, “That’s a good look on you!”

Jack didn’t look amused.

“Come on, Jack. Where’s your sense of humor?” Daniel chuckled.

“He looks adorable!” Ramirez shouted from across the room.

Jack took off the foam crown and threw it at him, “Shut up, Ramirez!”


	13. I'm Not A Coward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You would deny it, right?”  
> Jack broke the tip of his pencil, “I- I don’t-”  
> “Then you would make a joke right back.”  
> Daniel was right. That’s exactly what he would do.

Thompson walked past the briefing room and heard a few of the agents joking around. He was about to tell them to get their asses back to work when he overheard what they were saying.

“Did you see those two queers holding hands the other day?”

“At the Statue of Liberty? Ha, yeah.”

Jack’s hand hovered over the door handle. This was a fight or flight moment.

“Hey, Jack!” Daniel called from his desk, “Check out this surveillance file.” He held up the file and waved it with his good arm.

The briefing room went silent when they noticed Jack was standing right there.

Jack looked at the agents inside then at Daniel. He chose to flight.

As he walked out of the office he banged into Peggy.

“I hope you aren’t taking another three hour break,” she joked.

Jack ignored her comment and kept walking.

Peggy frowned, “What’s up with him?”

“I don’t know… I’ll go find out,” said Daniel. He grabbed his crutch and jacket then walked after him.

 

The agents exited the briefing room.

“Well boys,” Peggy clapped her hands together, “You should all get back to work.”

“Yes, ma’am,” they answered in unison.

 

“Jack! Where are you going?” Daniel caught him in the elevator.

“I need some air,” he refused to look at him, “Go back to the office, agent.”

“No,” Daniel stepped into the elevator, “What happened?” The door closed behind him and he pressed the lobby button.

“Wrong button, Susan,” Jack leaned over him to press the roof button, “Feel free to get off at the lobby though.”

They stood together in silence until the doors opened for the lobby. Daniel refused to get out of the elevator. Instead, he let go of his crutch and laced his fingers with Jack’s as the doors closed again.

“Do you have a death wish or something?” Jack removed his hand. Daniel quickly grabbed his crutch back.

“It’s just us in here,” Daniel whispered in his ear, “Long way up to the roof…” He cornered Jack and started kissing his neck.

“I- oh, god… I thought you didn’t want to do this anymore,” Jack pushed him away, “Stop being such a tease.”

“I _meant_ that we shouldn’t leave the office for three hours to have sex,” he corrected himself, “Sorry about that by the way… I was wrong to bring it up like that.”

“Hmm, keep kissing my neck and maybe I’ll forgive you.”

Daniel smirked and pushed him back against the wall.

 

The elevator dinged. They were on the floor below the roof.

“The elevator doesn’t go all the way up,” said Jack, “There’s a flight of stairs to the roof-”

Daniel kissed him to make him shut up. “I literally just walked up the State of Liberty. I think I can handle a little flight of stairs.”

“Sousa, I don’t doubt that. I just wasn’t sure if you’ve been on the roof before.”

“Oh…” He awkwardly followed Jack to the stairs. “No, I haven’t.”

The first few steps were easy, but Daniel didn’t take his bad arm into account. His crutch occupied his good arm and he couldn’t grip onto the railing.

Jack looked over his shoulder, “You okay, killer?”

“Peachy keen,” he grunted.

The blond rolled his eyes and sat down at the top of the stairs.

“You sure? Because you’re only halfway up,” Jack teased.

“I’ll make it up there. Just wait, you impatient git.”

Jack nodded and watched Daniel struggle up the stairs. He fought the urge to help him, because he knew Daniel would only push him away.

He let out a deep breath when he finally made it to the top.

Jack put his hand on Daniel’s back, “Look who decided to join me!”

“Couldn’t have you getting lost up here,” he retorted.

They sat on a wooden bench near the edge of the roof.

“Wow,” Daniel awed at the view.

“I, um- I come up here to draw a lot.” Jack took out his sketchbook and hesitated to open it.

“Oh, is this where you drew the skyline?” Daniel asked.

“Yeah,” he answered. Jack repositioned himself so he was facing Daniel, one leg on each side of the bench. He opened the sketchbook to a blank page.

“Are you drawing it again?”

“Nope, not while there’s a more interesting subject in front of me,” he flirted.

Daniel blushed and stayed still for him.

 

“Please tell me what happened…” Daniel asked while Jack sharpened his pencil.

“Stay still,” he ordered.

“Jack, come on,” he pleaded. Daniel moved closer to him and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Tell me.”

“Fine…” he said, “The agents. They were- they were talking about us.”

“About us?”

“They saw ‘two queers’ holding hands at the statue of liberty,” Jack clarified.

“Jack…” Daniel whispered, “They- they weren’t talking about _us_.” He wiped away a tear from Jack’s face. Jack didn’t even realize he was crying until he felt Daniel’s thumb against his skin.

He stopped drawing, “What?”

“There were two men holding hands when we got there. I heard them make a joke about it while overseeing the evacuation.”

“Then why did they stop talking when they saw me?” Jack asked.

“Because they were joking around and the boss caught them?”

“Oh, right…” Jack felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders.

“Wait, what if they _were_ talking about us?” Daniel wondered, “How would you react?

“They weren’t talking about us, can we just accept that and ignore the stupid hypotheticals?” Jack wiped his eyes and attempted to refocus on the drawing.

“You would deny it, right?”

Jack broke the tip of his pencil, “I- I don’t-”

“Then you would make a joke right back.”

Daniel was right. That’s _exactly_ what he would do.

“I’m going back to work,” Jack replied blankly. He got up and walked back to the stairs.

“Stop being a _coward_ and talk to me!” Daniel shouted.

Jack’s fist tightened as he turned around, “Excuse me?”

“I said stop being a coward,” he repeated.

“I’M NOT A COWARD,” Jack yelled, a bit louder than he meant to.

“THEN STOP ACTING LIKE ONE.” Daniel slowly stood up to face him.

“Oh, yeah,” Jack spat, “Like you would react any _differently?_ I’m not a coward, Daniel. I do what’s in my best interest… what’s in _our_ best interest.” He shook his head and walked away.

“Yeah, okay. Jackass…” Daniel muttered. He sat back down and noticed that Jack left his sketchbook behind. He knew that he shouldn’t look through it, but he was mad… and it was _right_ in front of him. He flipped through the pages and saw a few familiar sketches from the last time he looked at it. There were now 6 drawings of him. Nope, he wasn’t flattered. Still mad. Then he landed on the pages that were definitely not meant for his eyes and the guilt sank in. There was an intricate drawing of a brain with rough words written along it.

_“Failure, liar, fag, worthless, jealous, stop thinking about it, fuck-fuck-fuck…”_

On the next page was a drawing of gun with the caption: _“You will never be forgiven.”_

“Hey, I forgot my- oh.”

He quickly closed the book. Daniel turned around and saw Jack standing behind him

“Here,” Daniel handed him the sketchbook and looked at his feet.

“Did- did you look at it?” Jack asked, snatching the book away.

“No, I mean… just for a moment. I’m sorry, Jack-”

Jack shook his head, “It’s fine. Forget it.”

“Shit,” Daniel cursed after Jack left the roof. He hit the bench with his crutch before sitting back down. 

 

Jack stormed back to his office and threw the sketchbook into a locked drawer.

He poured himself a drink. The burn of the alcohol distracted him from his burning thoughts.


	14. Night Out: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel gets a drink with Peggy, Angie, and Jarvis. 
> 
> Howard takes Jack out for a pick-me-up.

Jack didn’t even talk to him the next day; he had Peggy give him his assignments.

“Why aren’t you two talking?” Peggy asked Daniel.

“It’s a long story,” he said. Daniel took the files from her and pulled in his chair.

Peggy frowned. “Well, you better work it out soon. I’m not your carrier pigeon!”

“Yeah…” Daniel sighed, “We’ll work it out.”

“Listen, I’m going out for a drink after work. Would you like to join me?”

He scratched the back of his neck. “I’m not sure, Peggy…”

“Angie and Jarvis are coming. Maybe we can cheer you up?”

“Well… I guess _one drink_.”

“Great!” she smiled and walked to her desk.

Daniel had grown rather fond of Angie and Jarvis. He re-met Angie a week after the Leviathan incident by going to one of her shows with Peggy. The three of them went to dinner after and had a fun time. Angie was a very enthusiastic person and her banter with Peggy was amusing. More recently, he had become proper friends with Jarvis. They discovered that they liked many of the same authors.

 

It was the end of their shift. Peggy and Daniel collected their things and were about to head out. That’s when Peggy noticed Jack’s office blinds weren’t perfectly closed.

He was hunched over his desk with his hands covering his face.

She suddenly felt guilty for not helping him as well. He was an ass though… she shouldn’t feel bad, right?

“Daniel, I need to make a quick call before we go,” she said, “It’ll only take a moment.”

He nodded and leaned against his desk, “Okay, I’ll wait here.”

She walked to the back room and called someone she knew could help.

“Howard?” she said. There was giggling on the other end.

“Oh, hey Peggy! Sorry about that, I was… _entertaining_.”

She rolled her eyes, “I need you to do me a favor.”

“Sure, Peg! What is it?” he asked. She could hear his guest leaving.

“One of my coworkers is a bit down and-”

“What’s her name?” he asked, “I’m sure I can show her a good time.”

“What? No, no it’s not like that. It’s Thompson,” she explained.

“The fat-headed blond?” he asked, “Huh, I didn’t know he swayed that way. Well… I guess I can show him a good time too-”

“Howard!” she interjected, “That’s not what I mean!”

“Okay, okay,” he laughed, “He needs a distraction?”

“Yes, he definitely needs a distraction. Just get him out of the office.”

“Anything for you, Peggy!”

“Thank you,” she hung up the phone.

 

They made their way to a nearby bar and met Jarvis at the door.

“Hello, Jarvis,” Daniel put out his hand.

“Nice to see you, Agent Sousa,” Jarvis shook his hand and grinned, “Didn’t know you were joining us.”

“Yeah, I thought a drink might do me some good,” he said.

“Ha, I think a drink will do us all some good!” Jarvis led them to the table Angie was sitting at.

“Peggy!” She got up to hug her. Peggy hugged back and they quickly parted. Angie noticed Daniel standing behind her. “Oh, hey Danny boy.”

“I told you to stop calling me that,” he laughed.

“But it suits you so well!” Angie insisted.

“First round is on me,” said Jarvis.

“Good man!” cheered Angie.

 

After everyone left the office Jack drank himself into oblivion. He couldn’t get Daniel out of his head. His stupid gorgeous eyes, and his stupid gorgeous face, and his stupid gorgeous hair… Daniel’s laugh and moans echoed in his ears.

He was mad at him for looking at his sketchbook and having unrealistic expectations of him. He was even madder that Daniel wasn’t with him right now.

Then Jack felt a bulge in his trousers. God, did he get hard just thinking about him? He tried to ignore it, but the need for release got to him. Jack sat down on the couch and unbuttoned his trousers. He put his hand down his briefs and pulled out his semi-hard length. The blond stroked his dick vigorously and threw his head back.

“Ahh, yes! Jack moaned.

Stroking his dick wasn’t enough so he pulled off his trousers and threw them aside. He quickly sucked on two of his fingers. Jack arched his back and slipped his hand down the backside of his briefs. He imagined it was Daniel prodding and teasing his hole. No, he had to stop thinking about him.

He pushed in both fingers. “Mmm…”

Doing this to himself always put Jack into a mindless bliss. The pressure distracted him for a moment, but his mind was right back on Daniel when he hit his prostate.

“Da- Daniel,” he whimpered, “Fuck me, god…”

He pushed in a third finger and started stroking himself again. Jack’s head was in a fog and he was still far from getting off.

Nothing seemed to be working, he just _needed more_ … more of Daniel, more of his lips, more of his strong arms, and more of his dick inside him. Dear lord, he still felt sore from their infamous three-hour lunch break. It was a good sore though and he wanted it back in full force.

Then the phone rang on his desk.

“Ugh…” he knew he had to answer it. Jack took out a handkerchief and wiped away the pre-cum. He answered the phone in only his briefs. Putting on the trousers was too painful.

“Hey, Jackass!” Howard said cheerfully.

“Stark? Why are you calling the SRR office?”

“Full disclosure, Peggy told me you needed a pick-me-up!”

He was going to kill her.

“I’m really busy.”

“Come on! I know this great place downtown. From what I understand, you’ve been under stress lately. Not going to blow my own horn, but I’m rather good at stress relief.”

“I have other plans… work to do-”

“You’re lying,” said Howard.

He contemplated on hanging up the phone, but ended up giving in. “Fine, what kind of place is it? A bar?”

“You’ll see! I’ll pick you up at the office.”

 

Jack was able to get himself off and cleaned up. There was a car outside half an hour later.

Howard rolled down the window and tipped his hat, “Hey, blondie!”

Jack shook his head and got in the car. “Not the usual driver. Where’s Jarvis?”

“I gave him the night off. This is James.”

“James, where are you taking us?” Jack asked the new driver.

“Mr. Stark told me not to tell you, sir.”

“Fantastic,” he said sarcastically.

Howard patted him on the shoulder, “Relax, it’s a good surprise.”

“You’re the worst. You know that?”

“So ungrateful!”

 

“I can’t believe this,” said Jack, “Did you really bring me to a strip club? This can’t be Peggy’s idea.” They sat down in the back of the club.

“I told her I'd give you a distraction. I’m pretty sure this fills that quota, Thompson.”

“Jesus…” he muttered.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Howard greeted the waitress, “Two whiskeys for me and my friend here.”

“I’m not his friend.”

“Sure thing, gentlemen,” she winked at Jack.

“I think she likes you,” Howard elbowed him.

“Oh, great,” Jack scoffed, “A whore likes me.”

Howard’s playful elbowing became harder.

“Ow!” Jack shouted, “What was that for?” He rubbed his arm.

“Your language, Thompson. They are _sex-workers_ ,” Howard corrected him, “Not _whores_.”

“Whatever,” Jack rolled his eyes. Their drinks came out and Jack avoided eye contact with the waitress.

Howard seemed to be enjoying himself. He talked to the waitress for a few minutes then drank half his whiskey. “Great dancers, eh?” Several women were dancing on the stage. They were dressed in sparkling red, white, and blue lingerie. “Very patriotic.”

“Yeah, they’re great,” said Jack, a fake grin plastered on his face, “God bless America.”

“You alright, Thompson?” Howard asked, “You’ve been nursing that drink for awhile.”

“I’m fine,” he said defensively. Jack sipped at the whiskey.

“Is this… _not your scene?_ ” he whispered, “We can leave.”

Jack slammed down his drink, earning a few looks from the people around them. “What the hell is that supposed to mean, Stark?”

“No, I wasn’t-”

“ _Not my scene?_ I’m not a fairy if that’s what you’re hinting at. Just- just because I’m not feeling this right now… it doesn’t mean- it doesn’t mean that I’m…” he slurred his speech.

“Whoa, whoa,” Howard put up his hands, “I wasn’t saying that.”

“Good,” Jack spat.

Howard stared at the hunched over and droopy-eyed Jack, “How are you buzzed already? You’ve only had one drink.”

“Office stash,” he confessed.

Howard put money on the table and grabbed Jack’s arm, “Come on, we’re leaving.”

“What?” said Jack, “No, just get me another drink and I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll get you another drink, but not here,” said Howard as he guided him into the car.

 

Jack dozed off for a moment then realized where they were, “Why… why are we in Greenwich Village?” he asked nervously.

“The nightclubs are great here,” said Howard, “You can stop up here, James.”

“No… no, this is where queers hang out. I can’t be- I can’t be here,” he protested.

“ _Come on_ , Thompson,” he pleaded, “You’ll have fun, trust me.”

Jack sighed and got out of the car. As they walked down the street, Howard gave him a knowing look.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Jack asked. It’s like Howard could sense the self-consciousness on him.

“Relax,” he told him, “The place I’m taking you to is discrete. Not one of the big nightclubs.”

“It better be. I can see the headlines now _Stark seen at gay bar with SSR Chief_.”

Howard laughed, “That’s a headline worthy of framing.”

“Shut up,” Jack pushed his shoulder. He wouldn’t admit it, but he rather enjoyed Howard’s shenanigans.


	15. Night Out: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel and Jack get life advice at bars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AGENT CARTER WAS RENEWED. I AM SO EXCITED. I SCREAMED WHEN IT WAS ANNOUNCED.  
> Ahhhh, good things.

After three rounds, Peggy and Angie headed out.

“This was lovely boys!” said Angie with a salute.

“I’m glad you decided to come out, Daniel,” said Peggy.

“Me too. Thanks, Peggy.” He got up to give her a half hug.

“Bye, Jarvis,” Peggy waved to him.

“Goodbye, Miss Carter,” he raised his drink, “Miss Martinelli.”

Angie smiled and shouted, “Thanks for the drinks, Mr. Fancy!”

Peggy shushed her and led them outside.

Jarvis was laughing to himself and Daniel clapped him on the back.

“So, where’s the wife, Jarvis?” he asked.

“She’s out with a few friends at the cinema,” he answered, “Bars aren’t really her scene.”

“And bars are _your_ scene?”

“Sometimes, Sousa,” he said, “Sometimes.”

“Fair enough,” Daniel downed the rest of his drink.

“How about you, seeing a lucky lady?” Jarvis asked.

“Ha, not exactly,” he said. Daniel fumbled with his glass.

Jarvis raised an eyebrow, “I don’t mean to pry, but…”

Daniel realized what he hinted at and quickly explained himself. “What I mean is- what I- I’m kind of seeing someone… We are just having problems.”

“Ah, I see,” Jarvis nodded.

“It’s- it’s not a big deal though,” he stuttered. Daniel kept his eyes on his empty glass.

“Your body language says otherwise, Agent,” Jarvis observed.

Daniel got the bartender's attention, “Two more, thanks.”

“Is that why Peggy wanted you to come?” he asked.

“I thought you said you didn’t mean to pry?” said Daniel.

“Just trying to offer you advice, that’s all,” he sipped at his drink.

Now Daniel was the one with the raised brow, “You have advice?”

“It’s rather general, I’m afraid. It might help your situation though.”

“I’m all ears, Jarvis,” Daniel put down his drink.

Jarvis pivoted in his bar stool to face the other man, “Don’t beat around the bush.”

Daniel’s shoulders dropped, “Is that it?”

“That’s it,” Jarvis grinned, “Sousa, you need to talk to her. Try to work out whatever problem you’re dealing with.”

“You make it sound so simple…”

His tone became serious, “I never said it was _simple_. If the person is worth it and you love them… then that’s what you _need_ to do.”

Daniel rubbed his eyes, “I understand what you’re saying, but I never said anything about _love_.”

“I can tell,” Jarvis stated. Daniel didn’t respond, instead he just nodded and ordered another drink.

 

Daniel was drunk an hour later and babbling to Jarvis. The butler had stopped drinking a while ago. He nodded his head and tried his best to listen.

“We have never actually said _I love you_. At least not straightforward. We have said things like ‘I might love you’ and ‘I think I love you’ but that’s it.”

Jarvis finally cut in between his ramblings, “Yes, but its actions that tell how people truly feel.”

“Actions?” said Daniel. He tried to recall if Jack had ever expressed his love through actions. Then it hit him. The flowers, the drawings, the way he kissed him like his life depended on it. _Jack loved him_.

 

“See? Gay bars aren’t that bad,” Howard winked.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jack laughed.

“That guy over there was been staring at you for the last 15 minutes,” he pointed his drink towards the back of the bar.

“I noticed actually,” said Jack, “I also noticed that three guys have been looking at you.”

“I don’t know if you’re aware, blondie,” Howard chuckled, “but I’m pretty famous,”

“Doesn’t that… make things like _this_ hard?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, but the beauty of it is that the people in here _also_ don’t want to get caught,” Howard pointed out.

Jack nodded, “True.”

“I’m going to get more drinks, what do you want?”

“Surprise me,” he smirked as Howard walked away.

Jack gripped his glass tightly while he scoped out the bar.

“Hey gorgeous,” said a tall man with sleek black hair.

“H-hi,” Jack replied awkwardly.

He offered his hand, “Wanna dance?”

“Um, sure… okay,” he gulped.

“I’m Adam by the way,” he introduced himself while escorting Jack to the dance floor, “What’s your name? Unless you just want me to call you gorgeous.”

He blushed, “I’m- I’m Jack.”

Howard turned around with the drinks and noticed Jack wasn’t there. He looked around and saw that he was on the dance floor. 

“Attaboy!” he cheered to himself. Howard sat down at the bar and offered his second drink to the guy next to him.

Jack only knew how to slow dance and that was definitely not the style of dance happening on the dance floor.

Adam put his hands on Jack’s hips and whispered, “Move your body along to the music.”

The band was playing at a fast pace and he tried his best to keep up. He ended up stepping on Adam’s foot.

“S-sorry,” Jack panted, “Not really used to this.”

“It’s fine, gorgeous. Just put your arms around my neck and let me lead.”

Jack listened, “Okay...” he wrapped his arms around the man’s neck and allowed himself to be brought in closer.

“Hmm, there you go,” he whispered into Jack’s ear. Adam reached over and grabbed his ass.

“Ohh,” Jack whimpered, surprised by the sudden touch.

Adam placed a kiss on Jack’s neck. “Is this your first time here?” he asked.

“Ye-yeah, it is,” Jack answered. The music slowed down and Adam’s hands went back to his hips.

“Can I get you a drink, Jack?”

“Sounds good to me."

Howard gave him a thumbs-up as they walked by. Jack glared at him, his eyes read, _“Shut up.”_

They small talked and flirted while drinking. Adam’s hand rested on Jack’s thigh as he talked about what he did for a living. “So, I’m a musician. I started playing a handful of instruments when I was thirteen. The saxophone is my favorite by far.”

“That’s amazing! I always wanted to pursue a career like that, but…”

“But?” he questioned.

“I, ah- draw sometimes, paint too… I work in law enforcement though. It just seemed like the better path to take,” Jack explained.

“I went to law school and I thought the same exact thing. Then one day, I just decided life was too short to _not_ do the things I loved.”

Jack stared at him and tried to let the advice sink in. They finished their drinks and Adam reached for his hand.

“Want to go back to my place?” he asked, “We can talk more. Maybe do some other things too…”

“Ah, I- um…” Jack stuttered, “Well…”

“Gorgeous, its fine if you don’t want to,” he reassured him.

“I’m sorry. I just- I’m not really-”

“Listen, kid. Here’s my number,” he scrawled it down on a piece of paper, “Call me if you change your mind, alright?”

Jack nodded and took the paper.

“I had a nice time, Jack,” he winked and walked away.

 

“Damn,” Howard sat down next to him, “That guy was hot.”

“Shut up, Stark,” he mumbled.

“Did you have fun?” he asked, “It sure looked like you did.”

Jack’s cheeks burned up, “I- yeah, I did. He asked if I wanted to go to his place, but there’s… too much on my mind.”

“Is there someone else you’ve got on your mind, Thompson?” he speculated.

“No… yes, ugh- I don’t know,” he said, “Get me another drink and maybe I’ll have an answer.”

Howard snickered, “I think you’ve had enough free drinks for one night,  _gorgeous_.”

“Oh, god. You heard that?” he hid his face.

“I certainly did,” he said. They walked out the bar and slide into the backseat of the car. Jack had a smile plastered on his face again, but it was real this time.

“Hmm. I’m… I’m just going to rest my head.” Jack leaned back and tried to get comfortable.

 

He was woken up by Howard poking his shoulder, “Thompson, I don’t know where you live. What’s your address?”

“My- my address?” he said, only half conscious.

“Forget it, you can just stay at my place,” said Howard.

 

Jarvis and Daniel left the bar at midnight.

“I’m surprised you’re out this late, Jarvis.”

“I told Anna that I might be out late,” Jarvis answered nonchalantly.

“I’d love to met her sometime,” said Daniel.

“Yes, I’m sure the two of you would get along,” Jarvis grinned, “So, are you going to take my advice?”

Daniel put his hands in his pockets. “To not beat around the bush? Yeah, but I’m not sure how to go about it.”

 

Jarvis offered to drive him home and they continued their conversation on the way there.

“What does she like to do?” Jarvis asked.

“I’m not sure,” said Daniel, “She likes art?”

“Then try to get interested in art,” Jarvis suggested, turning onto Daniel’s street.

“Ha, I can’t exactly draw,” laughed Daniel.

“You don’t have to. There are some beautiful galleries in Chelsea. You should give them a look.” He parked in front of Daniel’s building.

“Huh,” Daniel got out of the car, “That’s a good idea, Jarvis. I think I’ll do that tomorrow.”

“Get over your hangover first, Sousa.”

 

Howard and James assisted Jack to one of the guest bedrooms.

“There we go,” said Howard. Jack flopped down on the bed.

“Thanks, James. That will be all,” he handed him a tip.

Jack yawned and closed his eyes, “Goodnight.”

“You’re going to sleep like that? No, at least take your jacket off.” He made Jack sit up so he could remove it for him. “There, that’s better. Night, Thompson.”

 

Howard heard a loud bang followed by a scream at 4am.

“I swear to god…” He prayed that no one was trying to break in again. The inventor grabbed a bat from under his bed to check it out himself.

The noise seemed to be coming from the kitchen. Maybe the chief arrived super early? God, he hoped so. He was both hungry and scared. Howard opened the kitchen door and raised his bat.

“Ah!” shouted Jack, “What the hell, Stark?”

He sighed in relief. It was just Thompson.

“That’s no way to talk to your host!” he said, lowering the bat.

“It is when they're _about to bash my head in!"_ said Jack.

“I heard a loud bang,” Howard explained, “And… a scream.”

“Oh,” Jack stood still, “Was- was it that loud?”

“Yeah, it was _very_ loud,” answered Howard, “What happen-”

“Sorry I woke you up from your beauty sleep,” Jack interrupted him. He tried to walk past Howard, but he blocked the door.

“What was the loud bang? Was that really you screaming? Geez, it sounded like a horror film.”

Jack’s face was flushed and he moved side-to-side trying to escape the questions. “I said I was sorry, okay? I’m going to head out.” 

Howard lightly touched his shoulder and was surprised by how much Jack jumped.

“Whoa there,” Howard stepped away.

“I drank too much, that’s all.” Jack pressed a hand against his forehead.

“Want water or another drink?” Howard asked.

Jack repressed a laugh, “You’re offering me another drink?”

“What? The hair of the dog usually helps the bite,” Howard got out a bottle of wine.

“That’s easy if wine’s like water to you,” Jack retorted.

“Well, I’m not going to offer you whiskey at 4am,” he poured them both a glass.

“As long as you have some standards, Stark,” he took the glass.

They leaned against the counter in silence for a while.

“Are you going to answer my question or do I need to pour another drink?” he asked.

“I opened the fridge and a few cartons fell out,” Jack noticed Howard looking over at the fridge, “Nothing spilled. I was just surprised.”

“You were scared of a couple cartons?” Howard teased.

“No,” Jack responded in a serious tone, “It was the _sound_.”

Howard’s jaw dropped, “Oh.” He felt like an ass.

“I’ll take that second drink now.”


	16. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m pretty sure your hangover has a hangover."

“I’m pretty sure your hangover has a hangover,” Howard laughed.

“Very funny,” said Jack, taking a long sip of wine.

Howard grabbed Jack’s drink, “You’ve had enough.”

“Ugh, come on!” he tried to grab it back, “Stark, you little-”

He was interrupted by a glass of water being shoved into his hands.

“Drink this instead.” Howard stared him down until Jack drank it.

“Happy?” Jack asked, holding up the empty glass.

“Yes, now go back to sleep. You can’t go back home looking like _that_ ,” Howard looked him up and down. Jack had pulled off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt halfway sometime during the night.

“Are you trying to say that I look like a mess?” Jack asked as he tried to straighten his shirt.

“Well, I’m not saying you look handsome.”

“That’s impossible, I _always_ look handsome.”

Howard rolled his eyes, “Whatever you say, Thompson.”

 

He eventually convinced Jack to go back to sleep for a few hours. Howard did the same. He smiled as stretched out on his king sized bed. He wouldn’t admit it, but he rather enjoyed Jack’s company.

 

When Howard woke up, Jack was gone. There was a knock at his bedroom door.

“Yes?” he yawned, pulling the layers of blankets off himself.

“Good morning, Mr. Stark,” Jarvis greeted him with a cup of coffee.

“Thanks,” he reached out for the coffee, took a sip, and then placed it on the nightstand.

“I banged into Agent Thompson on my way in. He said _‘thank you’_ for last night.”

Howard smiled to himself.

“Do I need to order another diamond bracelet, sir?” Jarvis asked with a cheeky grin.

He dodged the pillow Howard threw at him. “You’re _hilarious_ , Jarvis.”

After Howard finished his coffee, he asked Jarvis to call Peggy.

The butler handed him the phone once she picked up, “Hey, Peg!”

“Hello, Howard. How was last night?” she asked.

“All and all, I think it was a success!” He told her all about it, keeping out the gay-club-dancing and 4am-screaming for Thompson’s sake.

“I’m glad you got on well, even if he told you to shut up every two seconds,” Peggy laughed.

 

Daniel’s morning had a rough start. He fell out of bed, nearly dropped his coffee cup, and he had a throbbing headache.

"Ugh," he groaned. His body yelled at him to go back to bed, but his mind wanted to stay up. Despite his lingering hangover, he was determined to check out the art galleries.

 

The galleries were _beautiful_. He made a mental note to thank Jarvis for the suggestion.

Each gallery had a unique sense to it, which made him want to explore them all.

The paintings of couples kissing made him feel lonely and lovesick. He found himself most captivated by these pieces. Daniel fantasized about having a proper date with Jack here.


	17. Art Gallery Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Want to go? With- with me?” he asked awkwardly.
> 
> Jack raised an eyebrow, “And what if I’m still mad at you?”
> 
> “Let me make it up to you then.”
> 
> He looked into Daniel’s puppy dog eyes and sighed, “Fine.”

It was Monday morning and everyone except for Jack was free from alcohol’s side effects. Jack staggered past Daniel’s desk. He tried to hide his bloodshot eyes behind a file, but failed.

“How was your date with Stark the other day, Thompson?” Daniel teased, “You look like a wreck.”

“Carter told you about that? God…” Jack grumbled.

“Oh, yeah,” Daniel smirked, “She told me.”

“What… what did she tell you exactly?” Jack asked, ready to deny everything.

“Just that you went to a few bars.”

“Oh,” Jack tried to hide his relief, “And what were you up to this weekend?”

“Got drinks with Peggy, Angie, and Jarvis.”

“Sounds nice,” Jack headed to his office,  “Now, enough chit-chat. Back to work.”

Daniel got up and followed him. He stood in the doorway before Jack could close the door.

“I also went to a few art galleries…” he hoped this would recapture Jack’s interest.

“Really?” he asked, fumbling with the file in his hands, “Which ones?”

“A few in Chelsea, ever been?”

“Yes, but it was a long time ago…”

Daniel took Jarvis’ advice and stopped beating around the bush.

“Want to go? With- with me?” he asked awkwardly.

Jack raised an eyebrow, “And what if I’m still mad at you?”

“Let me make it up to you then.”

He looked into Daniel’s puppy dog eyes and sighed, “Fine.”

 

They agreed to meet at the Empire Diner at 8pm the following night. Daniel sat outside and glanced at his watch nervously.

“Hey, killer,” Jack greeted him. Daniel looked up and gaped at Jack for a moment. He was wearing a gorgeous blue suit that brought out his eyes.

Okay, maybe he gaped longer than a moment. “Huh- hey Jack.”

“What are you staring at?” he asked. 

“I’ve never seen you wear that before,” said Daniel.

“Oh, this?” Jack smirked, “I- ah, wore this when we went to Spider’s club.” 

“It looks nice,” Daniel complimented him. If they weren’t in public he would have pulled Jack by his suspenders and kissed him.

 

They walked into the first gallery and looked around. Daniel loved watching Jack stare at the art pieces. He would tilt his chin slightly and bite down on his lower lip.

After awhile, Jack noticed that Daniel was looking at him more than the art.

He elbowed him, “Sousa, _actually_ look at this one.”

“Hmm? Oh- yeah,” he looked at the painting then back at Jack, “It’s beautiful.”

“Why’s it beautiful though?” he questioned.

“The colors are bright,” Daniel commented.

Jack placed his hand on Daniel’s shoulder as he explained the piece, “No, the vibrant colors distract you from the sad scene.”

This time, he looked closer and saw that several people in the painting were weeping.

 

They went to a few more galleries and Jack happily talked about the paintings and sculptures. Daniel was impressed, “God, I didn’t even notice that.” When he checked out the galleries over the weekend he missed all these meanings. “Sure you didn’t just bullshit all of that?”

Jack laughed, “I’m pretty sure I know what I’m talking about.”

“Well, you definitely know more than I do.” Their eyes met and the blond blushed.

“Not exactly an accomplishment,” he teased, squeezing Daniel’s shoulder before they walked to the next gallery.

 

They were in an empty section of the gallery. Daniel put his hand on the small of Jack’s back and whispered, “Your stuff belongs in a place like this.”

“Ha, yeah right…” Jack scratched the back of his neck and looked at the ground.

“I mean it, Jack.” He scanned the room several times to make sure they were alone. Daniel quickly kissed Jack’s cheek and stepped away from him.

 

“So, am I forgiven?” Daniel asked as they strolled down the street.

“Hmm, I don’t know,” Jack smirked at him, “I’ll answer that after you buy me dinner.”

“Ha, you just want to spend more time with me.” Daniel expected a snarky remark from Jack, but it never came. Instead, their hands brushed against each other as they decided on a restaurant.

 

“Do you, ah- want to go back to my place?” Jack asked after their meal.

“I’m guessing that means I’m forgiven then?”

He nodded reluctantly, “Yeah, you’re forgiven. Just don't go poking around in my stuff again."

 

“I was expecting suspenders to be everywhere,” Daniel mocked.

“Ha, are you saying your sweater vest invested wardrobe compares to my suspenders?” he asked.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Daniel pulled on his suspenders to close the space between them, “I’m not complaining though.”

He gazed into Jack’s eyes then at his lips. They were about to kiss when Jack coughed and stepped back.

“You- um, you want something to drink?”

Daniel frowned, “Yeah, sure.”

They took off their jackets before Jack hurried to the kitchen. He poured them iced tea, not whiskey, to Daniel’s surprise.

 

They sat on opposite ends of the couch and watched TV. Daniel slowly moved closer to him throughout the show. Jack pretended like he didn’t notice, keeping his attention on the screen. He stayed still as Daniel rested his head on his shoulder.

Several minutes later, Daniel reached for his hand. Jack restrained himself from moaning when he felt a nibble at his neck. He wanted to melt into the touches so badly, but he couldn’t. He felt disconnected and afraid. Daniel whispered something sweet in his ear. He blocked it out.

“Jack?” he asked, “Is something wrong?”

“Isn’t… isn’t _this_ wrong?” Jack scooted away from Daniel.

Daniel hesitated to put his hand on Jack’s thigh, “Does it feel wrong?”

“Yes and no…” he answered.

“I feel the same way,” said Daniel.

“ _What should we do?”_ Jack asked, his voice shaking.

“Right now… I just want to do this.” Daniel placed his hand on Jack’s cheek. He leaned forward and pecked his lips. “What about you?”

“Yeah,” Jack nodded, “Yeah- I want to do that.”

Daniel smiled and traced Jack’s jawline. Jack smiled back then pinned him against the couch. They nervously laughed in unison. The touches weren’t as frantic as usual... they were heated, but gentle. Jack captured Daniel’s lips and kissed him deeply. It was the kind of kiss that Daniel thought about while talking to Jarvis, _like his life depended on it_. Their hands traveled across each other’s bodies. Daniel grazed his fingers along Jack’s spine, making him shiver. Jack moved his lips to Daniel’s neck, earning a small moan followed by another laugh.

He leaned his forehead against Daniel’s, “What’s so funny?”

“It’s called _being happy_ , Jack,” he whispered. Daniel grabbed Jack’s neck and brought their lips back together. They lazily kissed each other until they fell asleep on the couch.


	18. Bed Head & Morning Wood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter to let you dorks know I'm still alive!  
> The next chapter is going to be longer and have some plot development/plot twists.

Daniel woke up with Jack nestled in between his legs. He quietly laughed at the other man’s bed head, which rested on his chest. The usual neat and slick blond hair was now all over the place. Daniel tousled the disheveled hair and smiled.

Jack sighed with contentment, “Hmm, morning.”

“Morning,” Daniel pushed Jack’s hair away from his face.

The phone rang and Jack reluctantly opened his eyes.

“Ugh,” he groaned, pushing his head between Daniel’s chest and the couch.

“You should get that,” Daniel suggested.

“No,” Jack mumbled, “You get it.”

Daniel rolled his eyes, “Jack, this is _your_ place.”

“Fine.” He sat up, straddled Daniel’s lap, and rubbed his eyes. Jack heard Daniel make an almost inaudible noise and then he shifted underneath him. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re um- you’re on my…” Daniel’s face reddened as he motioned downwards.

“I’m what? _Oh_.” He was sitting right on top of Daniel’s morning wood. Jack smirked and stood up. “I’ll take care of that when I come back.”

Daniel gulped and nodded.

Jack managed to answer the phone on the last ring. “Hello?”

“Thompson!” Peggy said urgently, “We have a Cтрах terrorist in custody. _He’s not talking_.”

“I’ll be right there.” Jack hanged up the phone.

“Who was that?” asked Daniel.

“It was Carter. Sorry, but your hard-on is gonna have to wait. They have a Cтрах terrorist with a shut trap,” he explained.

Daniel got off the couch and grabbed his jacket. “Geez, that's big. I better head back to my place… I need to change.”

“I’ll- um, I’ll see you at the office then,” said Jack, opening the door for him.

They stood in the doorway and locked eyes. Jack leaned in to give him a chaste kiss. Daniel peeked his head over to make sure the hallway was empty before wrapping his arms around Jack’s neck for a longer kiss.


	19. Tell Me Something I Don't Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack finds out who the SSR has in custody.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who finally updated!

The taste of Daniel’s soft lips lingered on Jack’s as he made his way to the office. He found himself smiling whenever he thought of the other man. Jack shook his head in an attempt to focus himself. God, he didn’t mean for things to go this far. They were practically _dating_ at this point. There were so many reasons why they should stop this nonsense, but all Jack could think about was the smell of Daniel’s cologne… All he wanted to do was rest his head on Daniel’s chest again and take in that intoxicating smell. Last night had been one of his best nights of sleep in a long time. No nightmares, no cold sweats, no crying… _just sleep_.

 

“Thompson?” said Peggy, waving a file in front of his face, “Did you here what I just said? This is serious.”

He shook his head again, “Sorry, Carter. Could you repeat the last part?”

Peggy and several other agents were debriefing Thompson on the case’s newest development.

She rolled her eyes before repeating herself, “His name is Alexander Wilson. We caught him red-handed. He was carrying the same explosives that we found at the Statue of Liberty.”

“He even had written down codes from Cтрах in his briefcase,” Ramirez added.

“How’d you catch him?” Jack asked as he followed them down the hallway.

Johnson caught up with them and raised his hand like a child, “Me! That would be me.”

Ramirez elbowed him in the stomach, “ _We_ found him.”

“Geez, Ramirez…” Johnson rubbed his stomach. “Yeah, _we_ found him.”

 

Jack sat down at his desk and Peggy dropped a stack of files in front of him.

“These are the surveillance reports from the last few weeks.”

“I looked at these the other day, Carter. I didn’t see anything-”

“Look at the last file,” Ramirez interrupted. Jack spread out the files and looked at the latest entries.

“Our field agents have been keeping track of the areas I tacked on the map. Agent Ramirez and Agent Johnson took it upon themselves to further the search to warehouses,” Peggy explained.

“ _I know_ , I gave them the permission and warrants,” said Jack, “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Sorry, Thompson,” Peggy glared at him, “I just assumed you were behind, since you haven’t looked over the most recent entries.”

Jack glared back and was about to say something when Ramirez cleared his throat in an attempt to break the tension. Doobin walked over, allowing a quick conversational shift.

“Ah- according to the eggheads,” Jack pointed at Doobin’s footnotes. The scientist rolled his eyes at the nickname. “The warehouse they found him in was teeming with vita radiation.”

"Well, that makes sense." Peggy commented, "They're weaponizing nitramene." 

Doobin jumped in, "Yes, albeit their methods are rudimentary. They seem to believe in quantity over quality, " he explained while adjusting his glasses, "The warehouse was filled with more of those bombs Agent Carter here defused. These one's were poorly made though and sitting there for quite some time."

“What happened to their ‘ _we will attack the rest’_ threat? Why are they hanging out in some warehouse?” asked Jack.

“They were either bluffing or they’re preparing,” said Peggy, “According to psychiatric records, after a failed terrorist attack, groups like Cтрах usually lay low for a while. They wouldn’t attempt another attack until it’s a guaranteed success. They have some _‘greater plan’_ , we just don’t know what it is yet.”

“Are you a psychiatrist now?” Jack joked, a smirk growing on his face.

Johnson pointed at the file, “She’s not, but our silent man in custody is.”

Jack’s smirk disappeared as he read the file, “Wait, like… Doctor Ivchenko kind of psychiatrist?” he asked warily.

“Possibly,” Peggy answered, “He hasn’t attempted to hypnotize anyone yet though.”

“Great,” Jack clapped his hands together, “That’s just great.”

Just then, Daniel entered the now crowded office. “What did I miss?”

Jack got up and walked past him. “I’m going to go question a terrorist who might hypnotize me. Wish me luck!”

Daniel raised his eyebrow and looked at Peggy for an explanation.

 

Jack entered the interrogation room and saw a man with slick back hair strapped to the chair. He stared at the floor, hiding his face.

“So, you’re the one that won’t talk, eh?” he slammed his fists against the table.

The man looked up, his mouth wide open. “Ja- jack?”

Jack took a step back. “Adam?” No, it couldn’t be… but it was. It was the man from the gay bar. The man that he flirted, talked, and danced with. His name wasn’t even Adam. He was a Ctpax terrorist, not some dreamy musician. Is that why he hit on him? Did he know who Jack was the whole time that night? This is what he got for leaving his guard down.

“You-you said you were in law enforcement, I- I didn’t think you meant… this,” he rambled, “I swear, this is all a misunderstanding. I… I didn’t do anything-”

Jack stood there, his jaw dropped.

 

Peggy, Daniel, and Ramirez were behind the mirror exchanging confused looks.

“Wait, does Thompson _know_ this guy?” Ramirez asked, eyes wide.

“I- I don’t know,” said Peggy, “Should I go in there?”

Daniel stared at them through the mirror, “Let’s just see how this goes first.” He wanted to know who this man was in relation to Jack.

 

“Jack, please-” he pleaded.

“Shut up and listen,” Jack interrupted him. He almost forgot that three people were watching them behind the mirror. He needed to toughen up. “I read your file. My agents caught you red-handed. The possession of the explosives is enough to put you away. The codes, well, that’s enough to get to executed for treason.”

Adam- no Alexander- began whimpering, “No, no… you don’t understand. I’m not- I’m not guilty.”

Jack scoffed, “Listen, I can make you a deal, but you _need_ to talk.”

Alexander nodded and began talking, “There was this woman. She blackmailed me into this. I swear, she threatened my family, my-my son… they have him.”

Jack was still overwhelmed with anger and betrayal, “You’re lying!” He hit the man across the face twice.

 

Peggy barged into the room, “Thompson, I need to speak to you,” she said firmly. Jack was panting and cursing under his breath, “Fuck- fine, fine…”

They stood outside the interrogation room. “Jack, who is he? Why did you call him Adam? How do you know him?” she whispered.

He couldn’t think of an excuse amongst all the questions. Once he caught his breath he said, “Carter, it’s a long story. Just let me finish the interrogation-” He tried to reenter the room.

“No,” she grabbed his arm, “I- I think I believe him.”

“You believe him?” Jack jerked away, “Why?”

“When the agents caught him he was mumbling about needing to save someone. They thought he was just spewing out some Cтрах propaganda. I think he was talking about his son.”

Jack raised an eyebrow, “He could just be saying that.” He tightened his grip on the door handle, ready to go back inside any minute.

“Yeah, he could be. I still think it’s worth looking into before you beat him up.”

Daniel stepped out of the back room and stood behind Peggy.

“Come on, Jack. She’s right and you know it,” he reasoned. Daniel gave him a small smile, but that wasn’t enough to calm him down. Jack let go of the door handle and stormed off.

“Jack, wait!” Daniel called after him. There was a loud bang. Jack slammed his office door and locked it behind him. “You can’t just lock yourself in your office! Are you serious?”

 

Several minutes later Jack unlocked the office door, holding his jacket and briefcase.

“Where are you going?” Daniel asked, trying to keep up with him.

“What the hell happened?” Ramirez asked, joining them in the hallway.

“I need some air. I left all of your assignments on my desk.” He nudged them out of his way and he walked out of the SSR office.

“I work with five year olds, I swear,” Peggy mumbled.


	20. A Different Kind Of Debrief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wasn’t sure how it happened, but here he was, knocking vigorously on Howard Stark’s front door.

He wasn’t sure how it happened, but here he was, knocking vigorously on Howard Stark’s front door.

Jarvis answered the door moments later, “For goodness sakes! I will have you escorted off the property- wait, Agent Thompson? What are you doing here? Stark isn’t expecting you…”

“Yeah, yeah I know,” Jack huffed, “I just- I need to see him, is he here?”

“I’m afraid not,” said Jarvis, letting him inside. “May I ask why you’re so distraught?”

“I’m not distraught!” Jack said defensively.

Jarvis put his hands up, “Of course not, sir.” He led him to living room and kept an eye on Thompson while he caught his breath. “May I get you something to drink?”

Jack nodded, “That’d be great, thanks. Do you have whiskey?”

“I believe so, one moment.” Jarvis left the room and came back with two glasses of whiskey.

“Are those both for me or are you joining in?” Jack laughed.

Jarvis chuckled, “No, I’m still on duty. Mr. Stark should be back shortly.”

“I thought you’re the one who drives him around?” Jack asked before taking a sip.

“I am, but Mr. Stark enjoys the occasional stroll when stressed.”

Jack didn’t know why he smiled at that. Probably because he went out for fresh air when he was stressed as well.

 

Once Jack seemed calmer, Jarvis left the room again to fetch tea for himself.

“If I remember correctly, Agent Thompson, you were here not quite long ago,” Jarvis noted before sitting in the chair across from him.

“Y-yeah,” Jack answered, almost chocking on the whiskey and his words. His mind immediately went back to the gay bar.

“I might seem like a square to you, but I’m fully aware of Mr. Stark’s _romantic endeavors.”_

“What?” Yeah, Jack was definitely chocking on the whiskey now.

“May I ask… what are your intentions?” Jarvis questioned. He could feel the butler staring at him. Was he being interrogated right now?

Jarvis continued, “I’m sure you know this already, being a federal agent, it’s against the law to-”

“Excuse me? I thought you just said you weren’t a square- not that I’m admitting to anything.” _Nice save_.

“If you want to continue your relations with Mr. Stark, I need to debrief you on-”

Jack quickly stood up. “Whoa, whoa! Okay, just- just stop right there. I’ve been debriefed enough today. I don’t need to be debriefed on whatever you are talking about, because _nothing_ is going on between me and Stark!”

“And here I was thinking we’d be fast friends!” Howard hollered, leaning in the doorway. Jack jumped backwards and spilled some of his whiskey on the floor.

“There you are, Mr. Stark,” Jarvis greeted him, taking his jacket.

“I see we have a guest,” Howard smirked at him, “What brings you here, Thompson?”

“I need to talk to you about something in private.”

Jarvis raised an eyebrow and looked at both of them.

“Not _that_ ,” Jack snapped, glaring at the butler.

“Not what?” Howard asked. He took the second glass of whiskey off the table.

“I was simply debriefing Agent Thompson on your entertainment policies.”

Howard laughed so hard that he needed to sit down.

“Sir?” Jarvis asked, realizing he must have misread the situation.

“How- how much did you ‘ _debrief_ ’ him on?” Howard air quoted before laughing again.

“I actually didn’t get to it yet,” he answered. Jarvis turned to Jack and asked, “Thompson, are you interested in the rest of the debrief?” Jarvis was now holding back a chuckle.

Howard pretended to whisper, "I must warn you, _it's rather gay_."

Jack was shocked that they were openly talking about this. “Jesus Christ… what are you two playing at-”

“Hey, we’re joking,” Howard assured him, “Relax.”

He was losing his patience at this point. Forgetting that he was a guest in Stark’s house, he grabbed Howard by the arm and dragged him into the other room.

Now alone, Jarvis looked at the whiskey stain on the carpet and frowned.

 

“Jack, what the hell’s going on?” Howard asked, shaking loose from Jack’s grip.

“This is going to sound ridiculous, but I couldn’t talk to anyone else,” he answered honestly.

“Aw, how sweet,” he pretended to swoon.

Jack tightened his fists at his side. “Shut up, Stark.”

“Excuse me, but you’re the one who came to _my_ house,” Howard reminded him, “Now spill.”

He unclenched his fists and ran a hand through his hair. “Ugh,” Jack sighed.

“Need another drink first?” offered Howard.

He shook his head, “No, probably not the best idea.”

“Who the hell are you and what have you done with Jack ‘ _whiskey is my middle name_ ’ Thompson?”

“Ha, very funny,” Jack said dryly.

Howard put a hand on Jack’s shoulder and asked again, “What’s going on?”

“I- it’s just- I’m a fool and I can’t do my job right lately and I…”

All of a sudden, Jack couldn’t stand still. His balance shifted from left to right and he almost fell forward into Howard. The inventor gently pushed him into a comfy chair. He leaned over Jack and placed his palm against his forehead.

“Stark, what- what do you think you’re doing?”

Howard wasn’t listening to him though; he was now feeling Jack’s alarmingly warm cheeks. His eyes widened. “Are you sick? You’re burning up.”

“No,” Jack answered quickly, now a bit frightened by Howard’s concern.

“Wait here, don’t move.” Howard left the room and he could hear him calling for Jarvis.

 

Several moments later, Jarvis walked in with a thermometer and an icepack.

“Really, that’s not necessary,” Jack insisted, trying to shoo him away.

Jack fought the urge to flinch when the icepack grazed his forehead.

“Sorry,” muttered Jarvis.

“What’s it say, pal?” Howard asked.

Jarvis squinted at the thermometer, “Oh dear.”

“Oh dear? Why _‘oh dear’_?” Jack tried to stand up, but his legs were failing him.

“Sir, I think you should call for some professional assistance.” Jarvis showed him the thermometer.

“Okay… I get that you- that you don’t want me to panic, but you’re both freaking me out,” Jack panted.

“Your temperature is 105 Fahrenheit, Thompson.”

“105? Are you- are you yanking my chain or-”

Jarvis adjusted the icepack on Jack’s head, “You should stop talking.”

“That’s probably harder for him than you think” Howard gave a fake laugh before calling an ambulance.


	21. I've Never Felt This Way Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “One moment I’m relieved… I look at you and I think- wow, this fella is something else.” Jack made a point of staring into Daniel’s eyes, “Then the next moment I’m crushed, acting irrational and it’s- it’s this mix of love and fear that I don’t know how to deal with.”

“We need to stop meeting here like this,” whispered a familiar voice.

Jack slowly opened his eyes and saw Daniel sitting at his bedside. “Where exactly is _here_?”

“You’re at the hospital.” He took Jack’s hand in his and lightly stroked it with his thumb.

“What- what happened?”

Daniel scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. “Well, I’m not sure about the details-”

“Just tell me what you know, baby-doll…”

Daniel’s eyes widened and Jack immediately realized his slip up. Did he really just call Daniel a pet name?

“Did you just call me-” he asked, interrupted by Jack squeezing his hand.

“Yes, okay? Now tell me what you know.”

Daniel couldn’t help but smile at Jack’s admittance, even if it was followed by his usual stubbornness.

“You’ll be okay, I’ll start with that.” He grinned at Jack before continuing. “The vita radiation it- it causes some kind of sickness… fever and hallucinations. Cтрах has been tampering with formulas. Alexander Wilson’s clothes and belongings were teeming with the stuff.  He must have been exposed to the vita-rays for long periods of time.”

“Wait, what about Ramirez and Johnson?” Jack asked, struggling to sit up. “They caught him at the warehouse. They were- were exposed to Wilson for just as long _if not longer_ than me.”

“Lay back down, Jack.” Daniel whispered, touching Jack’s shoulder. “I’ll tell you everything, but you need to relax first.”

Jack nodded and placed his head back on the pillow. Daniel continued to hold his hand while he talked.

“After we heard about what happened to you… Doobin quarantined the lab. Ramirez and Johnson were sent to the hospital as well, just a safety measure, they seem to be fine.”

“Are they still here?” Jack questioned, concern sketched upon his face.

“No, they left a couple hours ago. The side effects seemed to affect you more for some reason. The doctors, scientists, and Stark are all looking further into it. Luckily, no permanent damage.”

“Then why do I feel like shit,” he groaned.

“It’s going to take time to get everything out of your system.”

Jack groaned again and tugged on Daniel’s hand.

“Should I get the nurse?” he asked.

“No, no… I’m fine. I’m glad they’re okay, but I can’t help thinking that I’m to blame.”

“You couldn’t have possibly-”

Jack shook his head, protesting the reassurance. They sat in silence for several minutes. He knew that he would have to tell Daniel eventually… about the gay bar and meeting the suspect before, but he could barely breathe right now.

 

Daniel broke the silence, “Why, um- why were you at Stark’s anyway?”

“I, well…” he answered, “I just needed to get out of the office.”

“Okay, but why go to Stark?” Daniel asked again. “Since when are you two buddies?”

“Why does it matter, Sousa?” said Jack, narrowing his eyes.

His cheeks reddened as he tried to brush it off. “It doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

Jack raised an eyebrow, “Wait a minute, are you _jealous_?”

“No,” Daniel answered a little too quickly. “I don’t get why you didn’t come to _me_ though…”

“Definitely jealous,” he teased, “There’s no reason to be, you know.”

Daniel looked away for a moment. “What are we doing, Jack?”

“Well, I’m laying in a hospital bed getting over some mystery sickness and you-”

“ _Jack,_ ” he said sternly.

Against his better judgment, Jack struggled to sit up again. “Honestly? I don’t know. I’ve… I’ve never felt this way before.”

The way Daniel was looking at him begged Jack to continue (which is what Jack did for once).

“One moment I’m relieved… I look at you and I think- wow, this fella is something else.” Jack made a point of staring into Daniel’s eyes, “Then the next moment I’m crushed, acting irrational and it’s- it’s this mix of love and fear that I don’t know how to deal with.”

“I didn’t know you were such a sap, Thompson.”

“Yeah, well,” he huffed, “There’s a lot we don’t know about each other, which is another reason why this is-”

Daniel cut him off with a chaste kiss and whispered, “I want to.”

“You, you what?” Jack asked.

“I want to know more about you.”

Jack shook his head, “No… no you don’t. _Trust me_.”

Before Daniel could respond, the door creaked and they hastily separated from each other, cutting it rather close.

“Sorry to disturb you gentlemen,” said the nurse, “I need to check Mr. Thompson’s IV.”

Daniel smiled politely at the nurse. “I better head out, anyway.” He grabbed his crutch, stood up, and stretched.

“You’re- you’re going already?” Jack asked, not meaning to sound needy.

He pointed at the clock on the wall, “Yeah, visiting hours end soon.”

The nurse finished up what she was doing, taking several notes on a clipboard before leaving the room.

“Could you, um…” Jack mumbled awkwardly, “If it’s not too much to ask, I mean-”

Daniel clenched onto his crutch, hesitating to put his jacket back on. “Do you… want me to stay?” he asked.

Jack bit his lower lip and stared at the empty seat next to the bed.

Daniel was back at his bedside in no time.

 

An hour and a half later, the nurse tapped Daniel on the shoulder. He had fallen asleep hunched over, arms and head resting on the bed.

“Sorry, sir. Visiting hours are over.”

Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose, “Yes, of course. I’ll get up in a moment.” He motioned towards his crutch, so the nurse would see.

She nodded in understanding, “Take your time. You have about 5 minutes.”

“Thanks.” He hated the pitiful looks, but it was worth the extra couple minutes with Jack, even if he was a Jackass.

He looked up at Jack who was fast asleep. After checking that they were alone, Daniel leaned over to kiss his forehead.

“See you soon,” he whispered before leaving.


	22. I Prefer You Like This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Carter was a confident woman, but Jack was still surprised by her tone. He wanted to snap back, joke about firing her, or just say something. Taking the truth being thrown at him wasn’t his thing. However, he found himself slowly lying back down. He tried convincing himself that it wasn’t out of defeat. It was his choice. Not Carter’s, not his body’s, but his. That was obviously a lie though."

Everything was a blur when Jack woke up. The lights in his hospital room were harsh on his tired eyes. He didn’t know what time it. The clock on the wall seemed miles away.

“Thompson?” murmured a distant voice. Jack secretly hoped it was Daniel. Maybe he had only fallen asleep for a moment and he was still there by his bedside…

“Thompson, are you awake?” the voice asked again. There was a gentle touch on his shoulder.

“Mmm,” Jack mumbled back, “5 more minutes, Daniel.”

There was a cough. Then silence.

“Um… Thompson, it’s Carter.”

Jack’s blurry vision quickly refocused as he sat up in horror.

“Carter, I- I’m… I just thought-”

She waved her hand, “Agent Sousa was the last one to visit you, I understand.”

That quickly dismissed Jack’s rambling, thankful that she didn’t pry.

“Carter, what time is it?” he asked.

Peggy turned around to look at the clock. “11:37 am.”

Jack nodded then asked awkwardly, “And, ah… what _day_ is it?”

“It’s Friday. You’ve been here for a couple days, Thompson. Do you not remember?” The concern on her face became more prominent.

He blanked for a moment, “I’m- I’m not sure. I remember Sousa being here then falling asleep.”

“Sousa has been strapped to his desk trying to figure out this case… we all have,” said Peggy, “He- he’s taken it to an extreme though and-”

“But he was here last night? Wasn’t that last night?”

“No, that was two nights ago. Stark said that memory loss is a side effect of the tampered vita-rays.”

Jack’s shocked look made Peggy explain faster, “You’ll get better. It’s not permanent.”

He was suspicious though. “How do you know that? Everyone keeps saying that… but how do you know?”

“Well, Ramirez and Johnson are fine, no signs of further side effects. According to Stark and Doobin you’ll-“

Jack interrupted her, “I remember Sousa saying the side effects were affecting me more. What if I don’t get better? Why is it affecting me differently?”

“Maybe if you stop interrupting me you’ll find out.” She crossed her arms and waited for Jack to calm down and listen. “The explosive that I defused at the Statue of Liberty contained the tampered vita-rays. You inhaled them the most.”

“Is that why my lungs still feel like death?” Jack tried to laugh, but it hurt.

“Yes, that’s why. Everyone that was up there was brought in for testing.”

“Are- are they okay?” Jack asked before coughing.

She nodded, “Yes.”

“So it’s just me then? That’s- that’s like _this?”_ he asked, pointing at the hospital bed he was confined to.

Peggy bit her lip, “Actually…”

“Actually?” he questioned.

“We booked Wilson, he was at the jail… then he started coughing up blood. The blood was black and the medics there didn’t know what was happening.”

“Is- is he dead?” Jack asked, his voice shaking. What if he was next? What if this _was_ permanent?

“No, he’s not dead. They sent him to the hospital. I came to visit you, but it was a two-part trip…”

“Wait, he’s here? At this hospital?” he tried getting out of the bed.

“Whoa, no! You’re _not_ allowed to get up, Thompson.”

“Says who?” he spat.

Peggy rolled her eyes, “Says the nurses, doctors, scientists, _and me_. Now sit.”

“I’m your boss, you know,” he reminded her.

“You are also injured. Plus, you’re only my boss out of a technicality and you know it,” she snapped. Carter was a confident woman, but Jack was still surprised by her tone. He wanted to snap back, joke about firing her, or just say _something_. Taking the truth being thrown at him wasn’t his thing.

However, he found himself slowly lying back down. He tried convincing himself that it wasn’t out of defeat. It was _his_ choice. Not Carter’s, not his body’s, but his. That was obviously a lie though.

“Thank you, Carter.”

“I’m sorry, what was that?” she asked, not believing her ears.

“I said _thank you_. I know- I know I’m not the easiest to deal with. You’re probably not the only Agent at the hospital right now. You didn’t have to be the Agent to keep me in the loop, but here you are.”

Peggy stared in awe and disbelief, “You’re welcome, huh…”

“What?”

“I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but I prefer you like this.”

“Shut up, Carter,” he laughed despite the pain.


	23. Exhaustion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is exhausted. 
> 
> “It’s just… You know how it is, Peg. It’s like I have to work twice as hard to be just as good.”

Peggy stayed at the hospital with Jack longer than she expected. The SSR office was almost empty by the time she got back. Those who remained looked completely exhausted. Sousa stood out amongst the tired face. He was hunched over his desk, looking through files and photographs. The poor man looked like he hadn’t slept in days. Too be fair, he probably hadn’t.

“Daniel?” Peggy greeted him cautiously. He didn’t seem to hear her, still focusing on the work at hand.

“Daniel, you should go home.” This time she gently rested a hand on his shoulder.

The contact seemed to get Daniel back to his senses slightly.

“Huh?” he said, tiredness now mixed with confusion.

Peggy pulled up a chair and sat down beside him.  “I said you should go home. It’s late and you’ve been here all day.”

Daniel shook his head. “No, no I can’t. I- I haven’t figured it out yet.” He was visibly shaking at this point.

Peggy’s hand found it’s way back to Daniel’s shoulder. “Please,” she tried again, “One agent isn’t going to figure out this whole mess. You’ll wear yourself out, what’s the use in that?”

“It’s just… You know how it is, Peg. It’s like I have to work twice as hard to be just as good.” He leaned back into the chair, looking at the state of his desk.

She nodded in solidarity, “Yes, I know.”

 

After a few minutes, Peggy offered to help clear the desk. Despite graciously declining the offer, she stayed until he got up to leave.

 

Peggy feared she was being overprotective, but she had lost too many people. Knowing Daniel wasn’t spending the entire night at the office would be a small reassurance.

They both retrieved their jackets before engaging in some small talk.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said with a weary wave.

“Yes, tomorrow! Get some sleep, Daniel.”

“You too, Peg.”

 

When Peggy got home she didn’t even make it to bed. She sat down on the couch, her head too heavy to move. Saying work had been stressful would be an understatement.

“Peggy?” Angie turned on the light and was greeted by her exhausted girlfriend.

Peggy stood up too quickly, feeling lightheaded. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

“I heard you come in. You’re usually back sooner. You okay, English?” She sat down on the couch and motioned for Peggy to sit back down.

“I’m fine, Angie. Work has just been a handful…” she trailed off, falling asleep on her shoulder. Angie couldn’t help but giggled as Peggy’s breath tickled her neck.

“Let’s get you to bed, sweetheart.” Carefully, she put her arm around Peggy and guided her to their bedroom.

 

Daniel’s fate was similar. Unfortunately, there was no one to bring him to bed. 

He fell asleep on his couch again. Except this time the occurrence wasn’t as comfortable. His exhausted mind was full of work, Jack, and a lingering feeling of loneliness.

There was one hopeful thought though: maybe things would be different when Jack got out of the hospital.


	24. Vita-Rays: Altered Effects

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexander Wilson, the suspected terrorist, is losing his memory.
> 
> Doobin and Stark are teamed up and trying to figure out more about the altered vita-rays.
> 
> Daniel is still exhausted and Jack's condition isn't well.
> 
> Basically, a lot of shit is happening.

Alexander Wilson woke up handcuffed to a hospital bed with no memory of the last few weeks. The suspect sat up in bed, feeling completely disconnected with his surroundings.

“Hello?” he called out. Wilson had been to hospitals before, but never one like this. The hallway was empty except for two soldiers at his door.

“Where- where am I? Why am I handcuffed to the bed?”

He tried to move a little, only to find out he was also strapped at the ankles. The sick man swallowed harshly. What the hell had he gotten himself into?

 

“Nothing?” asked Howard, “What do you mean he remembers nothing?”

Doobin scratched the back of his neck, visibly stressed. “That’s what the doctors said, Stark.”

He shook his head, “There’s no way. That’s not a side effect of vita-radiation-”

“But Cтрах  _altered_ it,” Doobin interjected.

 

Along with a team of doctors, the two had recently joined forces to figure out the scientific changes to the vita-radiation.

Howard scanned the paperwork in front of him then abruptly got up. He speed-walked across the room to grab the phone.

“Who are you calling?” asked the scientist.

Howard pressed a finger to his lips, wanting silence.

After two rings, Peggy picked up. “Hello, any news?”

“Peggy! Can you send me all of the files you have on project rebirth?”

“It will take a few days. There’s a lot of paperwork involved with confidential documents.”

“But I was one of the-”

Peggy interrupted him, “I know, Howard, I know. If you give me more information I might be able to get them sooner. Is Doobin there?”

“Yeah, one moment.” He motioned for Doobin to come over.

He took the phone from Howard, “Hello?”

“Hello Doobin, it’s Agent Carter. I understand that you need the files on project rebirth?”

Doobin laughed nervously, “I would if Stark told me anything before handing over the phone.”

“Everything okay down there? I know he can be a handful,” Peggy laughed back.

By now, Stark was on the other side of the room tinkering with the SSR’s equipment.

“Yeah, you could say that.”

Howard hastily wrote down something on a notepad. He sat down on a spinning chair and slid back to Doobin.

“Here you go, pal,” he said, accidentally jabbing him with the notepad.

“Ow,” He quickly read the note, “You want me to what?”

“Doobin?” Peggy said, still on the other line.

“Sorry, sorry. Stark handed me a note. He wants me to call for a meeting of some sort? To be honest, I can’t read his handwriting.”

Stark glared at him. “A board meeting.”

“A board meeting, apparently.”

Carter looked up from her desk and squeezed the bridge of her nose. “That- that could work I suppose. You can explain the scientific reasoning behind needing the files. The only problem is that Thompson is still in the hospital. I’ll have to make the calls. Sousa can help you with further details, okay?”

“Sounds like a plan. I haven’t heard a concrete plan in days!” Doobin exclaimed.

 

When Doobin got off the phone he sat down next to Stark with a smile.

“Carter and Sousa are going to help set up the board meeting you want!”

Stark smirked, “Great, you’ll do a great job leading it.”

Doobin coughed loudly, “Ex-excuse me? I thought you would be leading it?”

“Why do you think we were partnered up? Despite me being here now, the SSR and I don’t exactly have the best past. You’re an official SSR scientist. I’ll be there though, don’t worry. I need to take responsibility for the vita-radiation after all and-”

“Stark! I can’t lead a meeting like that!?” he grabbed at his chest and breathed deeply. Howard’s eyes widened and he quickly got him a glass of water.

“I- I get anxious just from talking to- to _normal people_. These are high ranking officials we’re talking about!”

Howard nodded, “Well, we can practice.”

“Practice, yeah. I’ll need that for sure…” Doobin agreed.

 

Peggy walked over to Daniel’s desk after hanging up the phone.

“Sousa, I need you to- oh dear.”

Daniel was fast asleep, his forehead pressed against his hand. She dropped a file onto his desk. The noise woke him from his slumber, his elbow losing balance on his desk.

“What? What happened?” he asked.

“Sousa, I watched you go home last night. Unless you snuck your way back in after I left?” she raised an eyebrow at him.

“No, no I went straight home. I’m fine, really.” He looked at the new file on his desk and resisted the urge to groan. “Is this more information on the vita-rays?”

“It’s actually a request for a board meeting. Doobin and Stark need full access to confidential files, like project rebirth.”

Daniel nodded his head slowly. Taking in information was more challenging than usual. “Okay… got it.”

Peggy instantly noticed the hesitation. “I can ask another Agent, perhaps?” she offered, “You seem to have your hands full.”

“I can do it,” Daniel answered a bit too quickly.

Peggy decided to take his word and focus on the work at hand. “Of course.”

 

Jack wasn’t doing much better.

His memory was fine. On the contrary, his mind was racing with thoughts and memories. Jack’s head felt like it was burning. A handful of nurses had already come in to check up on him. Checking vitals was as common as drinking water at this point.

“Did I get any visitors while I was sleeping?” he asked one of the nurses.

She frowned, “No… unfortunately the doctor said you weren’t well enough for visitors. You’re on a different floor now.”

“Oh…” Jack tried not to let his worry show. “I was hoping I could go back to work soon.”

“I don’t know about going back to work soon, but your vitals are good. Let’s focus on that for now.” She gave him a small smile before leaving.

Jack sighed before resting his head back on the pillow. He was stuck here for god knows how long. No visitors, no work, no nothing. What was he supposed to do? Lay here and be useless? His mind began rationalizing that he needed to get better in order to help and that _in a way_ he was helping by observing the sickness.

The destructive thoughts were more powerful though… _You’re such an idiot! You got yourself in this mess by taking in all that smoke at the Statue of Liberty. Why didn’t you just defuse the bomb? No, you were too scared. You froze. Carter had to save the day again! God, how are you even chief? You’ve been useless. Not to mention you let that terrorist get close to you that night. Who knows what he did! He kissed your neck, bought you drinks! Those could have had the altered vita-rays in them too. You’re a fool! A fool who went to a gay bar and listened to a complete stranger for half the night. A fool that couldn’t defuse a bomb even though he’s trained. The SSR is ashamed of you. How could Daniel ever love you after all of this? He’s seen how weak you are._

Jack pressed his hands to his forehead and screamed, “STOP IT. STOP. PLEASE JUST STOP.”

Several nurses and doctors rushed into his room before Jack passed out.


	25. Good & Bad News

The next time Jack woke up he heard Howard lowly humming from the other side of the room. He looked over and saw the scientist taking notes while biting hard on his bottom lip – a mannerism that Jack had never witnessed before.

He cleared his throat to get the other man’s attention.

Howard nearly fell out of his chair. “Oh, you’re up!”

“Yeah, I’m up…” Jack rubbed the back of his neck. “What- what happened?”

“Well, I got some good news and some bad news, blondie.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Would ya stop callin’ me that?”

“Why, is the nickname reserved?” He asked with his usual cheeky tone.

Thompson glared at him, losing any patience he had left. “Can you quit the bantering for once and just tell me what’s going on? God, I feel like this is my life now,” he spat, “Shit happens then someone needs to fill me in. I hate being the last to know.”

Stark put his hands up. “Okay, okay. I get it, Thompson. Things have been shit lately.”

“You can say that again.” He slowly propped himself on his elbows. “Talk.”

Howard nodded before putting his notepad aside. “The good news is that we’re getting more information on project rebirth. Doobin and I are planning for a board meeting for access to the SSR’s files. Something that I should have access to already, but hey, what are you going to do? With that we should be able to dig deeper. No offense, but the SSR’s intelligence is more of a starting point than a solution.” He ignored another eye roll from Jack.

“What about Carter and Sousa?” he asked.

“They’re fine. Working their asses off, to be honest. The two of them are taking care of all the paperwork and connections.”

“Sounds like the SSR is doing great without me,” Jack sighed.

Howard looked surprised by the remark. “What are you on about, Thompson?”

He shook his head. “Nothing, nothing. I’m glad that everyone is working hard. It's just- being trapped here, never mind.”

“It's nerve-wracking, isn’t it?” asked Howard, hoping he wasn’t overstepping.

Jack nodded, “Yeah. Nerve-wracking.” He squinted a few times before pulling himself together again. “Anyway, what’s the bad news?”

“The bad news is that the drug, the altered vita-rays, they- um…”

Jack skeptically raised an eyebrow. “They what?”

“It’s something that both the scientists and doctors suspected from the beginning, but they weren’t sure… Hell, I wasn’t sure.” Howard was visibly nervous, droplets of sweat appeared on his forehead. “Now though, with so much evidence…

“I swear to god, Stark. If you don't spit it out already-”

“It affects everyone differently for a reason!” said Howard, a little louder than he expected. “We did a background check on Wilson and found out that there’s a history of memory loss in his family. The vita-rays are somehow affecting his memory. For you- well, I’m going to have to ask you some questions.”

Jack sat up and tried to straighten his back out. “What questions exactly?”

“Do you suffer from nightmares, Thompson?”

No answer. Just a blank stare.

“Please,” pleaded Stark.

“Why is that relevant?” asked Jack.

“Wilson has hallucinations while trying to put together his memories. You- well, we think… That you’re having hallucinations relating to nightmares.”

Jack stared at him again. This time with fear rather than annoyance.

After a few minutes of silence, Howard tried talking again. “Listen, I know this seems odd-”

“I’ve been hallucinating? What do you mean I’ve been hallucinating?” Jack started to panic. “How do I know if I’m hallucinating right now? Are you even here?”

Howard walked over to him, forgetting any hesitation. “Hey, listen. I’m not a hallucination, I’m real.” He placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder. The gentle touch reminded him too much of Daniel. His heart began to race just by the thought of him.

“Okay,” Jack breathed, “Okay, thanks. I’m fine. Do- do you have more questions?” He found himself desperately wanting to be helpful.

“You might not be able to remember visual hallucinations. Do you remember hearing any voices though?”

He slowly nodded his now heavy head, looking rather pale. “Yeah, I remember voices.”

 

Meanwhile at the SSR office, Daniel almost fell asleep on his desk again. Not being able to visit Jack was killing him. Pouring all his energy into figuring out this case as soon as possible was his only way of coping.

“Daniel, again? Really?” said Peggy, hovering over his desk.

He rubbed his eyes and reached for his now cold coffee. “Sorry, Peg.”

Daniel took a sip and practically hissed at the bitterness.

“Want to take a break?” she asked, “It’s nearly lunch time.”

He looked up at the clock. 11:30pm. “I can’t, there’s too much work to do here.”

“You need to eat, Sousa.”

He suddenly felt pathetic for having to be reminded of his basic needs. Instead of arguing any further, he grabbed his crutch and followed Peggy out of the office.

 

Daniel’s heart dropped when he realized Peggy was taking him to the same dinner Jack took him to.

“Something wrong?” Peggy asked, a reassuring smile plastered on her face. This situation must be difficult for her too. Since Thompson had been gone, Peggy practically took over his job without the title or proper respect.

“No, everything’s fine.” He said, struggling to return the smile.


	26. Comfortable Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Long time, no see. Here's a very short filler chapter to let you know that I'm still working on this fic! 
> 
> I have a lot of proper chapters planned. I can't wait to share them with you.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Peggy and Daniel ate in a surprisingly comfortable silence. When they first became friends, Daniel was always desperate to fill in the gaps. It wasn’t something exclusive to his friendship with Peggy, but it was a defining factor for a while. Now, they both knew what they wanted from each other, there wasn’t any pressure. 

As comfortable as the silence was, Daniel knew it would break soon. Peggy had been eying him suspiciously all day… questions were definitely afoot. He looked up from his food and was met by a worrisome look. 

“Daniel,” she said, “I can’t help but notice that you’ve been distant lately.” 

He opened his mouth, but words failed him.

“I’m sorry to intrude…” Peggy continued, “It’s just, you’ve been acting odd since Thompson’s been gone.” 

Daniel sighed and looked away from his food. “As much as I hate to admit it, he was important to our dynamic. It’s odd having him gone and not knowing what’s going to happen, you know?”

She gave an understanding nod.

“Sorry I’ve been distant,” he lowered his voice to a whisper, “This case is swallowing me whole.”

The waitress cleared her throat and placed the check on the table. Peggy quickly reached for it, to Daniel’s dismay. 

They walked back to work in the same comfortable silence as earlier. 

 

Howard had been taking notes for hours while Jack tried to explain the voices. It wasn’t going well.

The scientist rubbed his temples in frustration. “Jack, I know it’s hard to talk about it, but I need you to try. For me, please.” His voice was a mere mumble through the surgical mask he was wearing. Jack would be lying if he said the mask didn’t make him feel uncomfortable.

“Can’t you take that off? It feels weird talking to you like this.”

Howard frowned; at least Jack thought he did. “I’m sorry, Thompson. We are questioning if it’s contagious. I’m supposed to wear it during long periods.”

The whole experience felt dehumanizing. He couldn’t even talk to people normally anymore.


	27. I Miss You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stark has an idea.

“The only thing Wilson seems to be talking about is his son, he’s been rather persistent about it and it’s the only topic he positively responds to,” said Doobin, “I genuinely believe he doesn’t remember anything else and I’m trying to convince the SSR agents not to interrogate him like that again. The stress is obviously not helping and- Howard? Are you listening to me?”

Stark didn’t realize he had been staring in the scientist’s direction without hearing a word. “Hmm?”

“Nothing, nothing. I wrote it down in your notes anyway. Aren’t you supposed to check up on Thompson soon?”

Howard grabbed his notes and nodded, “Yeah, soon.” Doobin noticed Stark’s hesitation to leave.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, slowly walking over to him.

Stark gave a weak laugh, “Ha, nothing more than what we’re already dealing with!”

Doobin didn’t seem convinced. “Do you want me to check up on him instead?” He gently put a hand on Howard’s shoulder. “When’s the last time you slept?”

Howard backed away from his touch, “I’m fine, really. I can check up on Thompson.” He quickly left the room, leaving Doobin confused.

 

Before entering the room, Howard took several deep breaths and put on a new face mask.

“Alright, blondie. Where were we?” he said, regaining his confidence.

His only response was a loud snore from Thompson.

“Huh, I guess the medicine is working,” Howard mumbled to himself.

He sat on the other side of the room and continued his notes from earlier. Suddenly, the snores became murmurs, then a few clear words. “I miss you…”

“Jack? Are you awake?” he asked, stepping towards the bed. He waved his hand near Jack's eyes, no response.

Stark quickly wrote down:

_Possible new side effect: sleep talking?_

_Time: 8:26pm_

Jack said it again, except this time there was a name. “Daniel, I miss you…”

Howard’s eyes widened. Did… did he mean SSR Agent Daniel Sousa? He wasn’t sure if he should write it down. The other scientists and doctors might get the wrong idea. Stark needed to figure out more information on his own, maybe he could add a sidenote to explain the words. Perhaps Daniel was a family member who passed?

 

That’s how Stark found himself at the SSR office, looking for Peggy Carter.

“Hey, do you know where Carter is?" Howard asked Agent Ramirez.

Ramirez shook his head, “She left 15 minutes ago in a hurry. Sousa might know though.” He directed him to Daniel’s desk.

Stark smiled, “Thanks, pal.” Daniel seemed to be busy as well, but he needed some answers.

“Sousa, can I talk to you for a second?” he asked, already pulling up a chair.

Daniel looked up, visibly tired, “Um, yeah. What is it?”

“I was wondering if I could look at Thompson’s file?”

Sousa sighed, “Stark… we are already trying to give you access to project rebirth files and you want me to give you access to more files?”

“Just one file,” he corrected in vain, “We only have limited information on Thompson’s medical history. The SSR file might be helpful.”

It wasn’t technically a lie… they _did_ need more medical history information. What Stark really wanted was the family names listed.

“Fine,” said Daniel, “Follow me.”

They walked to the back room and Daniel took out a key for the file cabinet. He searched through the names until he finally found the file labeled ‘ _Thompson, Jack’_.

He handed Howard the file only to hesitate letting go. “We only have two copies, Stark. Bring this back when this hellish situation is over.”

“Of course, Sousa.”

Daniel nodded, letting Howard take it.

 

When Stark got back to the lab he quickly looked through the file until he found the _‘Family members’_ section. No Daniel’s. Well, that’s not it. Stark tried to clear his head, maybe Thompson was just saying nonsense? He’s sick after all.

Then he heard the murmurs again. “Sousa, please…” The words were followed by wild shakes and heavy breathing.

He opened the door to shout for Doobin, who was pacing in the hallway. “I need you in here!” Doobin and several doctors ran over.

After Thompson’s episode ended, Stark pulled Doobin aside. “Um, can you call Agent Sousa for me?”

 

“I was literally just talking to him! Why did you bring me down here?” he asked as Doobin escorted him to the hospital floor that the SSR and Stark took over.

“I’m not really sure, to be honest,” he said apologetically, “Stark said it was urgent though.”

Stark popped his head around the corner. “Ah, Sousa! Just the man I wanted to see.”

“Stark, why am I-“ he began, only to be interrupted.

“Please, let’s talk in my office.” He guided the SSR agent to his makeshift corner office at the other end of the floor. “Listen, I apologize for taking up your time today, but this is important.” Stark motioned for Sousa to take a seat.

“We don’t know as much about the vita-rays as we would like. The side effects of the victims seem to be connected though. Any conditions they had before are intensified. Wilson’s family has a history of memory lost, something that wouldn’t affect him until at least his 60’s, is now a major side effect. Thompson, he- um, he suffers from nightmares and night terrors. At least that's what we've identified, they might be underlying symptoms of something else," he cleared his throat, "Anyway, those episodes have gotten worse while he’s been here.”

Daniel swallowed loudly before talking. “Why… why are you telling me this?”

“Because I have an idea, and let’s face it, when I have ideas they usually work.”

 

“You want to do what?” said Doobin, “I’m not complying with that.”

“You’re the one that said Wilson only responded positively when talking about his son. Why not try that with Thompson and the individual he seems to be fixated on?”

“Yeah, _talking about it_. His son is missing and even if he wasn’t, we wouldn’t put them in the same room. We don’t know enough about the situation, Stark. They’re both neurotic right now.”

“They’re both isolated! The only contact they’ve had is with scientists and doctors. I’m not saying this is going to cure them, Doobin. It’s not that simple. If we can raise their morale, who knows, maybe their immune systems would improve a little? Having something to fight for it- it could help.”

“Did… did Sousa agree to it?” asked Doobin, seeming to take the idea seriously.

“Yeah,” Stark answered, “He agreed to it.”


	28. We're Ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doobin escorted Sousa outside. “We will call you when everything is ready.”
> 
> “Thank you,” said Daniel. He shook the scientist’s hand and slowly walked away.

Stark walked down the hospital hallway, finding Sousa shifting on an uncomfortable chair.

“Agent Sousa?” said Stark, announcing himself.

He rubbed the knot in his neck before responding, “Yes?”

“For safety, we need to monitor Thompson for 24 hours before you see him,” he informed Sousa, “Also, we need you to sign some paperwork.”

Daniel sighed, “Oh, great! More paperwork. That’s just what I wanted to hear.”

Howard laughed, “Yeah, tell me about it.”

 

Doobin escorted Sousa outside. “We will call you when everything is ready.”

“Thank you,” said Daniel. He shook the scientist’s hand and slowly walked away.

 

It was 9am and Daniel had hardly slept after leaving the hospital. He knew that it would take 24 hours, probably more because of damn paperwork, but Daniel still found himself staring at the phone on his desk.

“I heard about the plan.” Peggy sat on the edge of Daniel’s desk, eating an apple. “I don’t like being the last to know.” Her tone was playful, her glare on the other hand… not so much.

“Sorry, Peggy.” The lack of sleep had made his mind wander lately. “I meant to tell you when I got back.”

Peggy’s glare softened, “Are you nervous?”

Daniel looked up at her, “You already know the answer to that.”

She nodded in understatement. After a few moments of silence she said, “I’m coming of course.”

Daniel quickly interjected, “No, listen-”

“Daniel, I won’t be in the room. It’s my responsibility to the case to be in the building,” she stated, “That’s that.”

Sensing Daniel’s mood was off, she added, “Can’t have something almost blow up again, right?”

Daniel chuckled, “Ha, right.”

 

Thompson was stable for the most part. No major episodes, screaming, or worsened symptoms. The poor man looked like shit though. Stark made sure to write that down in his private notes: “Thompson: stable; looks likes shit.”

 

The call came during the night shift. For the last few weeks, Daniel and Peggy had spent a lot of time taking over that shift. Divvying up the work, dealing with an absent chief, and trying to solve a high-risk case was more than stressful. When the phone rang, Daniel rapidly reached for it.

“Hello?” he said, a little too desperately.

“We’re ready for you,” said Stark.

 

Howard sent Jarvis to drive them. The ride to the hospital was quiet; there was stillness in the air around them. Daniel tried to distract himself by fixating his eyes on the streetlights and pedestrians walking by. When they arrived, he quickly pulled himself away from his daze. He had to be strong for Jack.

 

Jarvis and Peggy sat down in the waiting room. Peggy gave Daniel a reassuring smile before Stark and a nurse lead him away.


	29. I'm Doing Everything I Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hiatus is finally over! Thank you for your patience and support.

Daniel was undeniably tired. He could only imagine how Jack must feel right now. 

Several scientists and doctors debriefed him for almost an hour. Just when he thought it was over and he’d finally see Jack again, Stark guided him to quiet corner.

“Sousa, this is very important,” Howard whispered, “The risk of catching anything is low, the altered vita-rays affect over time and it takes a large direct amount. It’s safe, but… you can’t touch him. He’s stable and we need to keep it that way. Plus, we don’t want to risk you getting injured, can’t have another SSR agent on the bench.”

“Yeah,” he nodded, “Doobin said that during the debrief.” 

Stark talked more firmly this time, “I mean it, Sousa. We are filming this for research and SSR evidence.”

Daniel looked more nervous now. “Stark, I know. Do you think I’m going to mess up or something?” He was getting frustrated now. Did Stark consider him incompetent? He knew how to handle himself during high-stress situations.

Howard cleared his throat before responding. “Listen, I don’t want to assume anything. It’s just- Thompson seems to be fixating on you and I’m curious, do you know why?”

Sousa stiffened, “It’s none of your business.” 

Stark raised an eyebrow.

Daniel immediately realized how defensive and suspicious his answer was. “I mean, we- we kind of became friends recently, before this happened. Wouldn’t want people to know I don’t completely hate the guy, right?” he nervously laughed.

“Right,” said Howard, with a knowing look. “Thompson’s kind of a jackass.”

“That’s no way to talk about the ill, even if it’s Thompson,” Peggy quipped. Daniel stepped back, visibly startled. He didn’t even hear her approach them.

“Hey, Peg!” Howard greeted her with a grin, “Long time no see.” 

Peggy shook her head, “Howard, it’s hardly been that long.”

“Yeah, well, time feels longer when you’re stuck in a lab.” He was joking, but clearly exhausted.

Noticing this, Peggy offered some gratitude. “I appreciate you working with the SSR, Howard.” Instead of continuing the banter, Howard just nodded. 

“Shall we?” said Peggy.

“I, um… thought I was the only one seeing Thompson?” Daniel asked, trying to sound nonchalant, and subsequently failing. He couldn’t stop fidgeting.

“You are, but I asked Peggy to join us in the observation room.”

Peggy put her hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be okay, Daniel.”

 

Daniel entered the observation room. It certainly fitted his expectations: there was a group of people in lab coats holding clipboards and a 2-way mirror. He caught a glimpse of Jack in his bed. He looked tired and thinner - it made his heart ache.

“Now, there will be limited interference,” Stark explained, “We will knock on the door when it’s time for you to leave. We’re keeping it short for now. If you feel unsafe or want to leave early, press the emergency button.” One of the scientists handed him a small remote. With that, Daniel’s thoughts were racing. What exactly was happening to his Jack? He tired not to overthink the implications of calling Jack his. He couldn’t let his anxiety get the best of him, not right now.

“It’s time,” said the head nurse, “Come with me.”

 

The nurse opened the door to Jack’s secure hospital room. He heard Jack yawn; they must have just waked him up. 

“Hey,” Jack murmured, trying to get up.

Daniel hurried to his side. “No, no. Stay in the bed, Jack.” He was tempted to touch, but stopped himself. The expression on Jack’s face almost made him weep. He looked lost, trapped, and dejected. 

“It’s good to see you,” he whispered. “It’s lonely here.”

Daniel smiled, truly smiled, for the first time in awhile. “It’s good to see you too.” He sat down on the chair near Jack’s bedside.

Jack had electrodes placed along his chest and bandages around his head. They explained during the debrief that the doctors were performing cardiology tests, but that didn’t explain the bandages. 

“What happened to your head?” Daniel asked.

Jack scrunched up his face, “Didn’t they tell you?”

“They mentioned your symptoms and the nightmares, but nothing about head wounds.”  
He heard machines beeping beside them. Daniel immediately realized they left out details during the debriefing on purpose. They wanted to see Jack’s true emotional state and current social skills.

“I- I kept hearing voices in my head,” Jack revealed. “And when it got worse, I hit my head against the wall.”

Daniel sighed, “Jesus, Jack…”

“It’s like my nightmares are happening while I’m awake,” he explained. “They tried handcuffing me to the bed, but I almost broke my wrist… so they just gave me sedatives instead.”

“I’m so sorry,” he consoled. 

“I feel better now though,” Jack hinted, wishing they could openly flirt.

He hoped the statement wouldn’t affect the scientists’ notes. In reality, Jack probably wasn’t feeling much better.

Daniel moved his chair slightly closer, “I’m glad to hear that.”

The beeping of the machines suddenly quickened. There was sweat collecting on Jack’s face. “I just want it to stop,” he groaned. 

Daniel resisted the urge to physically comfort him. “I know, I know. The scientists, doctors, nurses, and agents are doing everything they can. I’m doing everything I can.”

There was a glint of hope in Jack’s eyes. “Thank you. That- that means a lot.”

Before Daniel could respond, there was a knock at the door – Daniel’s cue to leave.

Jack’s face dropped.

“I’ll be back soon, okay? I promise.” Daniel reassured him.

Jack acknowledged his promise with a nod, holding back his tears.


End file.
